I'm Still Here
by 20DruidicKats
Summary: In the light of the monsters emerging from the Underground, many of the human's legends of dark creatures have been mostly forgotten. However, all legends have a grain of truth in them, a seed of honesty. This is the story of one such creature, hidden in the shadows of society, simply trying to get by with what she was given.
1. An Unfortunate Run-In

**WARNING!**

 **If you are triggered by mentions of abuse, rape, and violence in general turn back now!**

 **Proceed at your own risk!**

* * *

 _BANG!_

The worn wooden door hit the opposite wall with a deafening crash. Heavy breathing and frantic footsteps filled the silence and soon was accompanied by broken mutters.

" _Fuck!_ I don't have the time-!"

"Oh, _where_ did I put— _there_ _you are!"_

The sound of a zipper unzipping grated on the woman's ears and she gritted her teeth. Her hand shot out at random, hastily shoving clothing and other things into a hiking pack. Eyes darted from object to object, judging its necessity in a split second before moving onto another.

"I fuckin' _knew_ I should've come home right away!"

Sweat beaded her brow and she took a moment to impatiently brush it away before returning to her search. She glanced into the bag, bit her lip, deemed it satisfactory, and hastily zipped it. She slung the pack onto her shoulder, dashed out the door, barely remembering to lock it, and flew down the stairs and into her truck.

The frazzled woman jumped violently as a loud ring shattered the silence. Her fingers fumbled with her jeans pocket and she shakily pulled out her phone. Her heart stopped when she read the name on the screen and she hesitantly answered it.

"H-hello?"

"Hey Babe." A smooth, masculine voice answered. The woman involuntary shuddered and gripped the steering wheel with white knuckles. "What's for dinner tonight?"

"S-something came up at work and I-I gotta work a double shift…"

"Oh?"

"Yeah… I'm on break n-now…"

"Really? I don't see you anywhere. I've been sitting here for over an hour waiting for you."

"I-I-"

"I thought we agreed on being honest to one another?" The hand holding the phone started to shake. In her mind's eye she saw a snake uncoiling and poised ready to strike a mouse set in its sights.

The man on the other end sighed airily and continued, unperturbed. "You know what happens when you lie to me Lynn…"

Lynn gulped as her other hand found the fading bruises on her thighs. She heard him chuckling into the phone and hum as if he was talking about a favored song.

"See you tonight, Babe. Don't be late."

 _-Click-_

The snake struck and hit the mouse.

Her breaths came in gasps as she leaned her forehead against the top of the wheel, trying desperately to calm herself enough to drive. The soft red hue of the building in front of her was enough to shake her out of her stupor and she started shaking for an entirely different reason.

"Oh God! Fuck!"

Lynn shoved her keys into the ignition and twisted, praying to any and every holy being that it started the first time. It sputtered and wearily rumbled to life, much to the relief of the young woman inside it. She glanced in the rearview mirror, ignored her bloodshot and terror filled eyes, threw the truck in reverse, and floored it out of the parking lot.

* * *

Lynn steadfastly ignored the ringing of her phone, though it gave her fearful flutters in her stomach every time it went to voice mail. She could only imagine the punishment she was going to get for this and it sent her stomach churning. Taking a deep breath, Lynn glanced at the speedometer and grimaced; she was going ten over the speed limit and she knew that slowing down wasn't an option. She'd never make it in time.

"It'd be fun, they said," she muttered bitterly, glancing in the mirror at the steadily sinking sun. "I knew I should've went straight home. But _nooooo_. I had to let them take me out to dinner…"

Lynn flinched as the phone rang for the umpteenth time, briefly taking her eyes off the highway to send it a hateful glare.

"God, shut up! I should throw you out of the fucking window!"

Lynn turned her attention back to the road just in time to make her turn. She shifted to accommodate the steeper incline of the unkempt road, feeling her tension ebb slightly at the familiar wall of trees towering on either side of her. She was almost there.

The old truck bounced along, barely keeping to its lane as it sped along. Lynn had to actively remember that it was illegal to drive in the middle of the road, no matter if it was deserted of not. She kept a sharp eye out now, eyes hungrily seeking the dirt turn off that led deeper into the forests around Mount Ebott. A thought nagged at the back of her mind but she ignored it in favor of glancing at the trees.

"No, no, no, _no!"_

The light painted the tops of the trees a deep red. She had roughly a half hour of daylight left, tops. It took her forty-five to get to the cabin.

Lynn glanced further up the road, then at her speedometer, and pressed the petal a tad harder. The truck rumbled and jumped up five miles an hour. Now she was going a least fifteen above and there was no stopping her.

After a tense few minutes Lynn sighed at the sight of the familiar turn off and slowed down. Maybe she would make it after all.

She turned off onto the lightly used dirt road and downshifted. She was familiar with the road but she didn't have a death wish. At least, not today. Another glance at the darkening treetops spurred her to creep slightly faster, though her hopes were sinking as steadily as the sun.

"Please let me get there in time…"

The treetops were just losing the last rays of light when she caught sight of the familiar run down cabin that was her destination. Some of her anxiety eased at that, though she knew that she didn't have much time left. She felt the moon's presence start to take hold of the world and, if she didn't hurry, make her night a living hell.

Lynn parked a little ways away and jumped out, barely remembering to grab her pack and lock the door. Her feet slid to a halt when she heard her phone ring from inside the truck. That moment of indecision, torn between going back and chucking her phone out into the forest and rushing ahead to safety decided her fate.

Realizing her grave error, the young woman lurched towards the cabin only to double over a moment later with a cry of pain and horror. She glanced up at the treetops and her eyes so happened to land on the eastern horizon, made visible by the altitude. To her absolute horror, the white, bulbous full moon was sitting low on the horizon.

As if the sight triggered something deep inside her, her left forearm burned as if lit on fire. She cried out again and jerked forward a few more unsteady steps before the pain dropped her onto her knees. The fire spread up her arm, into her chest and took hold of her heart. Another scream of pain tore out of her throat as she felt her bones snapping and re-configuring themselves. Fur sprouted out of every pore on her body and the last thing she coherently remembers was the feeling of her skull compressing and stretching and an unearthly howl ringing out over the silent treetops.

The beast, no longer a young woman, slumped over onto the ground, whimpering as the last of its transformation completed. The pain ebbed enough for it to shakily get to its paws and lift its lupine head towards the moon lazing on the horizon. With huff, the beast took deep draws of the air and, without any provocation, bound off into the dark forest.

* * *

"Hey Papyrus! Where are you taking us?!"

"NYEH HEH HEH! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, HAS FOUND SOMETHING RATHER INTERESTING WHEN I WAS PATROLLING THE AREA TODAY!"

"What are you talking about punk?! We've been through this area a million times!"

"I'M SURE WE HAVEN'T SEEN THIS UNDYNE! IT SEEMS LIKE A HUMAN SETTLEMENT!"

"I guess we'll have to see it to _settle_ what he _meant_."

"I'M GOING TO PRETEND I DIDN'T HEAR THAT!"

Sans chuckled and lazily looked up over the dark treetops. The full moon hovered over them, about three quarters through its journey across the sky. Things like the moon and the sun had a special place in the monsters' hearts ever since they first got a glimpse of them a month ago. Sans in particular had taken a special interest in the celestial beings, as the humans called them, and had been researching everything he could about them. This is the first time the moon rose full since Frisk, that godsend of a child, broke the barrier and led them all out. He never could've imagined how bright the full moon was until now and it filled the weary skeleton with a sense of peace.

A sense of unease befell the skeleton and he tore his eyes from the moon to glance around warily. It felt like they were being watched and he didn't like it one bit. Sans subtly quickened his pace and caught up to his brother talking enthusiastically to Undyne about their next 'cooking' lesson. He half listened to his brother's chatter and half listened to their surroundings, sweeping the area multiple times to try and catch anything unusual.

"—GOTTA TEACH THE HUMAN NEXT TIME! SANS! IS THERE ANYTHING WRONG?" Papyrus paused when he noticed his brother's inattentiveness. He lifted an eyebrow when Sans jumped and noted the way his constant smile seemed a little forced.

"nah bro." Sans brushed off the feeling and shot the taller skeleton a forced smile, unease still crawling down his spine. "jus' looking around. it's rather a- _peel_ -ing. orange ya' think so?"

 _"_ _SANS!_ "

"Hey, Punk!" Undyne cut in, glaring at Papyrus impatiently, "How much farther do we have to go?"

"WE'RE ALMOST THERE!" Papyrus pointed ahead and Sans could barely make out a structure nestled near a clearing. "SEE? I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WOULD NEVER STEER YOU WRONG!"

"Well, let's go! I want to go to bed sometime soon!" Undyne took off running down the dirt trail with Papyrus hot on her heels. Sans, still uneasy, took another glance around and followed them at a much slower pace. Undyne was already exploring the interior of the structure, an abandoned cabin from the looks of it, while Papyrus circled the perimeter, presumably looking for more curios. Sans listened to Undyne exclaiming over the contents briefly before looking around the clearing. A bright glint of moonlight in the trees caught his attention and he meandered towards it to get a better look.

"wha-?" His slippered foot kicked an object hidden in the grass and, upon examination, turned out to be a bulging backpack. The unease intensified and Sans made a point to turn right back around and beeline towards the cabin.

"pap! I don't think this is saf—" An unearthly howl cut Sans short and chilled his bones to the marrow. A hostile growl and Papyrus's surprised cry gallivanted the lazy skeleton into motion.

"pap! hold on bro!" Sans slung himself around the back of the house and horror slid him to a stop. Papyrus was on the ground with the biggest wolf he had ever laid eyes on pinning him down. The beast's teeth were locked around the skeleton's right arm and was clawing at his chest in an effort to inflict as much damage as possible.

"OW! N-NICE DOGGY! LET GO OF ME THIS INSTANT!"

"hey, you!" Sans shouted, delving into his magic and sent a volley of bones at it. "get off my brother!"

The bones hit the beasts' back and knocked it off the skeleton. At that moment Undyne barreled in and sent her own volley of magical spears at it. The beast rolled out of the way of most of them, grunted at the few that pierced its hide, and charged them. Sans reached out a hand, blue magic glowing from his skeletal fingers, and wrapped his magic around the beast. It yelped in surprise and attempted to free itself, but Sans was having none of that. With a series of gestures, he smacked it against the side of the cabin, to the ground, into some of the trees, and repeated until it was no longer moving.

"Papyrus! Are you okay?" Undyne rushed to the injured skeleton's side and examined his injuries. Sans, after watching the slumped form of their attacker for a moment, hurried to his brother's side.

"I-I think so?"

Papyrus glanced down at his fractured and chewed arm and grimaced. Sans closed his eyes, took a deep shuddering breath, banished away a hazy memory of him kneeling at Papyrus's side for an entirely different reason, and reopened them. He reached for his brother's hand and, once he had it, squeezed.

"we need to get you back. can you walk?" Sans's voice was utterly serious as he looked over the deep gashes in Papyrus's clothes and ribcage, reminding him eerily of his own.

"Of course I can!" Papyrus shot him a shaky smile and tried to roll onto his feet. Sans watched his brother's face closely and anger burned in him as he saw the look of pain wash over it. Undyne huffed and gently picked him up, letting him find his footing before letting go. Sans expected them to start back as soon as Papyrus was walking and started heading towards one of his many 'shortcuts'.

"SANS, WAIT." Sans looked back and nearly had a panic attack at how close Papyrus was to his attacker.

"pap no! we gotta get out of here before it wakes up!"

"WE CAN'T JUST LEAVE HER OUT HERE! SHE'S INJURED AND NEEDS HELP."

Sans groaned and ran a hand down his face. Of all the times Papyrus has to be stubborn. He would never stop believing the human kid was good until the last moment, in almost every single timeline. Damn him and his never-ending compassion.

"look. that thing just tried to kill you! just leave it and it will be okay."

Papyrus was silent as he examined the beast closer. He didn't dare touch it, much to Sans's relief, but he watched its shallow, pained breaths.

"Come on Papyrus! Sans is right!" Undyne came up behind him and tugged on his good shoulder.

"SHE NEEDS OUR HELP. I DON'T KNOW WHY OR HOW, BUT I HAVE A GOOD FEELING ABOUT HER."

Undyne scoffed and crossed her arms. "About the thing that attacked you?"

"YES."

Sans scrutinized Papyrus's face, the fallen beast at his knees, then back to his brother. He knew that look of stubborn and he ran another hand down his face.

"you really want to take this thing, the thing that attacked you, back home? where our friends are? where Frisk could be put into danger?"

Papyrus blinked, his stubborn façade faltering at the thought of his friends being in danger. However, he seemed to mull it over and nodded once.

"YES. I WILL KEEP WATCH OVER HER TO ENSURE SHE DOESN'T HURT ANYONE."

"pap…" Sans shook his head and sighed deeply. He looked at Undyne, who shrugged, at the beast, then back up to Papyrus's face, and finally relented.

"fine. but she will only stay until she's healed."

Papyrus's expression lightened some and he nodded his understanding.

"UNDYNE! WOULD YOU-?"

"Yeah, yeah. Move, punk." Undyne cautiously moved towards the fallen beast and effortlessly slung it over her shoulders. Her nose wrinkled in disgust as she followed Papyrus to Sans, who took the lead towards his 'shortcut'.

"I hope you have one of your shortcuts nearby Sans! It stinks like hell!"

* * *

 **Please review and let me know if I should keep this up or not! I am still unsure about the quality of this, so it would be wonderful if a few words of constructive criticism let me know what I'm doing wrong.**

 **I will be posting trigger warnings at the beginning of each chapter.**

 **Please don't be _shy_ -ren! I love hearing from readers! Thank you very much for reading!**

 **-Kat**


	2. Meeting the Woman Underneath

**TRIGGER WARNINGS! Mentions of anxiety/panic attacks, severe depression, semi-graphic descriptions of transformation, and abuse ahead!**

 **Thank you Guest and** **Thestupidcupid for reviewing last chapter! You both are wonderful! I'd also like to thank the readers who gave this story a chance!**

 **I do hope you enjoy this chapter! I would love any kind of feedback, both positive and not-so-positive (but constructive)! Please don't be shy!**

* * *

"—yeah, he needs some food, pronto."

"tori— he's walking just fine."

"we didn't know it was there! yeah. yeah. gotcha. see ya soon."

Sans stuffed his phone back into his coat pocket and heaved a sigh. He glanced sideways at Papyrus limping along beside him. True to his word, he was keeping an intense watch on their captive and, combined with concentrating on keeping his injuries from jostling too much, was keeping rather silent. A slight grimace of pain flashed across the tall skeleton's face occasionally. Each one that Sans caught hardened the hate he felt for that beast slung across Undyne's shoulders.

"Ugh, are we almost there?!" Undyne shifted the body on her shoulders slightly to get a better grip on the awkward limbs. "The stink is gonna make me hurl."

"WE SHOULD BE… THERE FAIRLY SOON. SANS, ARE WE?"

"yeah, bro. toriel is waiting with some food for you."

"I HOPE IT'S SPAGHETTI!"

"to _forgetti_ your _regretti_?"

"OH MY GOD SANS! DID YOU JUST-?"

"yep." Sans flashed him a shit-eating grin. "don't get _upsetti_ about it bro."

"THAT! IS QUITE IMPRESSIVE, ACTUALLY…"

"don't mention it." Sans chuckled lightly and they padded along for a few minutes in silence. They eventually make it into the incomplete town and found an agitated and worried Toriel pacing the road in.

" _There_ you are! Come, let us get you ins— _What is that?!_ "

Toriel stopped dead in her tracks and stared at the lump of dark grey fur slumped on Undyne's shoulders. The fish-woman gave a shrug and shifted the body.

"Dunno. Papyrus wanted to bring it with us."

"Is that… what attacked you..?"

"YES! AND I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TAKE RESPONSIBILITY AND MAKE SURE SHE DOESN'T HURT ANYONE ELSE!"

"Oh no you will not." Toriel fixated a glare onto the skeleton. "You will sit down inside and eat. Undyne will watch over… her."

"What! Why me?! I had to carry this stinking furbag all the way here!"

Toriel switched targets and Undyne, despite being the famed former captain of the Royal Guard, cringed under her glare.

"Fine! Where should I put it?"

"In my guest room, please. There is a chair you can use to watch over her."

"wait," Sans cut in, "where will Frisk go? i don't want her within reach of that thing."

Toriel regarded the skeleton with a cool gaze. "Asgore has her. She decided to spend the night with him tonight."

"good." Sans weighed the words in his head, testing his memory for any hint of having this conversation before. Nothing rang a bell and Sans breathed a mental sigh of relief. The kid didn't have any reason to decide to spend the night elsewhere besides for their own desire. So far, so good.

He tuned back into the conversation in time to hear Toriel say, "Now that we have that all sorted out. Come inside."

Sans followed the others, keeping a close eye to the still unmoving beast. He allowed Toriel to show Undyne to the guest room and followed his brother into the kitchen where a steaming bowl of soup was waiting.

"OH GOODIE! I LOVE TORIEL'S SOUP!"

Papyrus shot an encouraging grin to Sans, who shot him a forced one back, and carefully moved it to the table. Sans followed him with his eyes, allowing his grin to slip as he took note of Papyrus's injuries. They looked so much worse in the warm light of the kitchen, revealing the dirt and the fine cracks of fractures in his brother's bones. Anger burned when he saw Papyrus having to feed himself with his left hand, his non dominant hand, and the injuries slowly but surely heal over. However, they were still vivid in Sans's mind long after they were gone.

* * *

Undyne sat in the room, bored out of her mind. She was seated on the far side of the room, near the single window that faced east. She'd been in that seat for hours, unwillingly volunteered to watch over the furry stinkbag she'd been forced to carry. The most excitement she'd had since dropping it into the bed was helping Toriel clean and bandage its open wounds.

"Stupid Papyrus," she grumbled for the hundredth time that night, "Stupid smelly furbag. I hope that Sans gets his hands on you. You freakin' deserve it."

No response. The fish monster snorted and glanced at her phone. Alphys had stayed up to wait for her to get back and was alarmed to hear that Papyrus had been attacked. And that he insisted they bring back his attacker. God, he was such a bleeding heart, Undyne thought. It was a good thing the war had ended before he got a chance to get into the Royal Guard. He'd never make it.

Undyne sighed and summoned a spear, spinning it around and imagining ways to kill that fleabag stinking up Toriel's guest bed. When they woke up, of course. There's no honour in taking a life when they can't put up a decent fight.

She glanced out the window and was somewhat relieved that the sky was starting to lighten. The sun will be up soon and her replacement would take over for her.

Undyne sighed and leaned on the desk, elbow propping up her head. She watched her charge's shallow, pained breaths. The glint of metal beads caught her eye and she eyed the metal necklace the beast wore. Toriel had left it be when they were cleaning her up and Undyne didn't care to mess with the jangling necklace. Her gaze drifted to the white bandages, blindingly bright against its dark fur, and checked for any sign of scarlet. Nothing.

She sighed for the umpteenth time and watched the sky lighten in the east. Though she'd never admit it, she loved to see the sun rise and set, often waking up early ad staying up late just to watch the colours of the sky shift.

A rumble startled her out of her musings and she leapt to her feet. She watched her charge shift in the bed and its facial features clench tightly, as if in pain. Another guttural groan confirmed her suspicion and she moved closer to the door, torn between staying and getting Toriel. Suddenly, the beast's eyes flew wide open, giving her a glimpse of glowing golden eyes, before it emitted the most pained screech she'd heard in a long time. Undyne summoned a spear as she heard a door slam open and heavy footsteps hurry down the hall. It screamed again just as Toriel burst into the room and they both watched as its features seemed to _melt_.

"Oh my god!" Toriel rushed to its side and jerked the comforter off. She gasped in horror and Undyne got a good look at bones snapping and reforming beneath its now bare brown skin. She shuddered and prangs of sympathy stabbed her heart.

The beast, now a _human_ woman, gave a last tortured groan and blinked open her eyes. Pain still etched her tanned features as she shifted, slowly lifting a hand to blearily examine it.

"Do not try to move, my child," Toriel soothed and the woman jumped, emitting a pained whimper a second after. Her brown eyes found the two monster women and they widened in fear.

"W-who are you?" her voice rasped and she flinched. "Where am I? Oh gods, did I _hurt_ anyone?!"

The desperation and fear in the woman's hoarse voice spoke volumes and Undyne banished her spear. The woman's eyes flickered to her momentarily before refocusing on Toriel, who sat on her heels to make herself a little less intimidating.

"I am called Toriel. My friend here is Undyne. We do not mean any harm. You are in my house in the monster town of New Ebott."

Undyne saw the woman's features scrunch up in confusion before a look of realization washed it away. She watched as the human struggled to sit up, shying away from Toriel's gentle offers of assistance.

"You-you two are… are some of the… monsters on TV! Oh gods, I forgot you guys settled here…"

"Could you tell us your name, my child?"

She looked startled, for whatever reason, and she was cautious when answering. "I'm Lynn. Um… no offense, but why am I here?"

Toriel started to answer, but looked at Undyne, who could answer that honestly. "You don't remember..?"

Lynn's face suddenly went pale, well, paler than she already was. "I-I can't re-remember a-anything when… when I'm… like that…"

Undyne scrutinized her face for any sign that she wasn't being truthful. Everything showed that, either she was _really_ good at acting, or she was truly unaware of her actions. She was going to give this woman the benefit of the doubt and answered bluntly.

"You attacked my friend when we were out last night. You banged him up pretty badly. You're lucky he spared your life and convinced us to bring you here."

A look of absolute horror crossed this woman's face and she dropped her head into her hands. Her frame started to tremble and alarmed the two monsters. They shared a look and refocused on the woman when she started mumbling.

"Oh god. Oh _god_! I attacked someone! Are they okay?! I didn't k-k- _kill_ them, did I? Or w-worse, b- _bite_ them?!"

"Sssshhh, calm, child." Thank god for Toriel's soothing skills. They needed them right now. "He is alive and okay. A bit shaken up, but he is fine. Why are you concerned with biting, my child?"

A hysterical, relieved laugh burst from her as she wiped away terrified tears. "I suppose you wouldn't know."

The sudden, bitter tone took them aback. Toriel's brow furrowed in confusion as she asked, "Know what, child?"

"If I… bite… someone when I'm…. like _that_ … then they _become_ like me. One of my kind."

"And what," Undyne asked, "exactly _are_ you?"

A bitter laugh and Lynn looked her straight in the eye. "I'm a werewolf."

* * *

Lynn saw the two monsters' faces scrunch in confusion. Of course they didn't know. They'd just made their appearance on the news about three weeks ago. They have no knowledge of human monster lore.

She'd been so stupid! How could she forget that they settled into this forest?! She came in, unwelcome, and _attacked_ one of the monsters here! That was inexcusable!

"What," the motherly goat-person, Toriel, started, "Exactly is a… werewolf..?"

The bubble of bitterness grew again, though aimed not at these creatures but at the memory of her curse. A humourless chuckle escaped her lips and Lynn shook her head.

"The term comes from the words _were_ , which means man, and wolf. Man-wolf. Many cultures have different stories for how we are… made. The one that is the truth is that, if one is bitten by a werewolf, they turn into one. Every full moon after that they turn into that… _monstrosity_ that you encountered…"

"Oh, my child." Lynn flinched at that endearment, spoken so softly and gently. She didn't deserve to be spoken to like that. She deserved harsh words and lashings for what she had done. "You poor thing. How long..?"

This… gentle inquiry was new to her and put her on edge. However, no matter how hard she tried, she could not bring herself to be less than truthful to this gentle creature. "'Bout ten years…"

"Damn." That fish monster whistled and Lynn couldn't help but be slightly reminded of something she read from a webcomic years ago. "That's a long time. So, there's _more_ things like you?"

This one's blunt nature Lynn was more familiar with and put her a little more at ease. She can handle people like this and understand it more than the caring gentleness Toriel had.

"As far as I know, I'm the only one here. In the world, yes. I don't know how many though…"

Undyne, the fish monster, opened her mouth to, presumably, ask more but was stopped by a look Toriel gave her. Toriel turned back to her and gave her a look over. Lynn was suddenly very aware that she was practically nude under the covers, her last transformation shredding what she had on, and blushed in mortification.

"We will get you a change of clothes, my child." Toriel soothed, seeing her embarrassment and giving her a small smile. "I will be back with some food."

"U-um… Thank you but I don't think—"

Toriel fixed a motherly glare onto her and she snapped her jaw shut. "You look famished, my child. You need to eat and regain your strength if you hope to leave anytime soon. And we cannot have a nude monster wandering around, now can we?"

Lynn blushed harder and nodded meekly, pushing the sheets further up her chest and watching the two monsters leave. As soon as the door clicked shut she sighed and covered her eyes with the heels of her hands. Ashamed and confused tears welled around her palms and dripped onto the soft comforter.

* * *

Toriel sighed softly as she heard the young woman begin to cry. Her heart ached in sympathy for her plight, despite the fact that she attacked one of her dearest friends. Lynn had seemed so sincere in her remorse and horror over what she did and that spoke volumes to the former monster Queen.

"So, what do we do?" Undyne asked softly, leaning against the wall of the hall.

Toriel bit her lip in indecision. "I think we should give her a chance. However, that is not something I can decide by myself."

Undyne nodded in agreement. "I think… I think she was telling the truth. Unless she's an amazing actor, I think she's truly sorry for what she did to Pap."

"I think so too."

Undyne yawned suddenly, looking exhausted from all the excitement. "Man, I could use some sleep. Need me for anything else, Toriel?"

Toriel hummed an affirmative. "Yes. Do you still have those clothes that are too small for you..?"

"Yeah. I'll get them for her. After that I'm gonna sleep and no one better wake me up!"

There was a smile in Toriel's voice as she replied, "Thank you Undyne."

"Don't mention it."

Toriel watched Undyne shuffle down the hall and out of sight. The sound of weary greetings to the occupants in her living room and the door opening and shutting followed shortly after. The motherly monster took one last glance at the wooden door and followed, smiling softly at the pair of skeleton brothers camped on her couch.

Sans was sleeping against the arm of the couch as Papyrus watched a program on her TV beside him. From the sound of it, it probably was another program starring Mettaton. He smiled brightly at her and waved softly, which she returned.

"Thank you for the soup!" His voice, though still loud was much quieter than his normal voice, "It was delicious! Can you teach me how to make it?!"

Toriel couldn't help but chuckle, relieved that there was no lasting harm. "One day. How are you? You look much better."

"I feel much better! The Great Papyrus will never be down for long!"

She simply smiled at him in answer and busied herself with making some food for her new charge. The monster glanced out the window and gauged the rough time Frisk would be home. The child liked to sleep in whenever there wasn't anything pressing to accomplish and Toriel was more than willing to accommodate that; especially since the poor child had been having the most horrid nightmares.

She wouldn't be home for another few hours. That left Toriel time to start on a snail pie she wanted to serve for dinner. For now, though, Toriel started on making breakfast.

Toriel hummed as she worked, tuning out most other noises other than the ones she was making in the kitchen. She heard Sans wake when she was almost done and smiled when he drug himself into the dining area, eyes still bleary from sleep.

"Good morning," she greeted with a smile, "I will be done pretty soon. I got to take Lynn hers before I sit down with—"

"Who?" Sans asked, confusion on his face before understanding and badly hidden irritation took over. "The beast?"

" _She_ ," Toriel stressed, a motherly tone colouring her voice, "Did not mean to attack Papyrus."

"I'd bet every bone in my body that she's lying."

Toriel's lips couldn't help but jump at the pun. However, she remained silent as she served Sans and Papyrus their portions before taking a plate to Lynn. She got there just as Undyne was exiting, nearly spilling the hot food all over the fish monster.

"I'll have to get some of that later," Undyne muttered through a yawn and jerked her head towards the door, "Give her a bit. She insisted on getting dressed on her own."

"Alright. Sleep well Undyne." Undyne waved and retreated, no doubt eager to get home.

Toriel waited another minute before gently knocking and entering. Lynn was leaning against the headboard in a slightly baggy grey t-shirt and too-large ripped jeans. She was playing her metal necklace when the young woman looked up and gave her a small smile.

"Thank you," she whispered sincerely, shaking hands taking the large plate and setting it in her lap. The young woman stared at the food for a bit, making Toriel worry that she'd made something inedible to humans, before looking up at the monster with tears in her eyes.

"Wh-why?" Her voice was so filled with confusion and cracked on the word. " _Why_ are you being so kind to me..?"

Toriel sighed, heart aching, and kneeled at the edge of the bed. She looked into those tortured brown eyes and replied from the bottom of her heart.

"Because, my child, we _all_ have done things we regret. To hold it against you, especially if you were not in complete control of yourself, is being hypocritical. To change, we must be given the _chance_ to change.

"There will be some that will hold it against you. But that is their own decision and there is nothing you can do about that. As for me, you are welcome in my house. I see how sincere and remorseful you are and I appreciate the honesty."

Lynn's confusion was still apparent and Toriel could do nothing more than sigh and pat her knee softly. Toriel smiled at her and got up to leave the woman in peace. She paused when she heard a murmured "Thank you", soul aching at the gratitude in it. The monster quietly shut the door again and sighed for the umpteenth time since she's woken up. She was not looking forward to telling Sans that Papyrus was to take the next shift watching Lynn.

"TORIEL!" Speak of the devil. "SINCE UNDYNE HAS GONE HOME, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TAKE OVER WATCHING THE NEW MONSTER!"

Well, maybe this will be easier than she thought. "She is eating right now, Papyrus. Are you sure you are up to it?"

"VERY SURE! IT'S MY RESPONSIBILITY TO WATCH OVER HER!"

"Alright. Do not… startle her too much. She is a little high-strung right now, Papyrus. Be careful what you talk about with her."

"DON'T WORRY! THE GREAT PAPYRUS IS ALWAYS CAREFUL!"

With that he opened the door and shut it behind him. She could hear his loud introduction through the wall and she had to stifle a giggle. Oh, the poor dear will have to endure for now.

As for her, she has a pie to make and an irritable skeleton to endure.

* * *

Lynn stared, dumbfounded, at the energetic skeleton that had just come bounding into the room. She'd heard him from outside the door but half expected him to leave her in peace. She'd also seen him on TV and he, admittedly, piqued her curiosity, along with his brother. However, nothing could've prepared her for how energetic he really was.

"—GREAT PAPYRUS WILL BE WATCHING OVER YOU NOW! IT IS MY RESPONSIBILITY AS THE ONE WHO BROUGHT YOU HERE TO KEEP AN EYE ON YOU!"

"Y-you are the one who… brought me here..?"

"WHY, YES!"

Wait… didn't Undyne mention..? Lynn felt a fresh wave of horror wash over her. Her eyes jumped to his frame and she spied dirt staining his bones. The ends of his shirt were torn and stained despite the jacket covering the rest of it.

"Oh god." Tears blurred her vision and she watched his expression stutter in confusion. "Y-you are the one I-I attacked… wasn't it..?"

"ERR…" his hand came up to rub his neck and she flinched at the movement. That served to confuse him more. "A BIG DOG ATTACKED ME, NOT A HUMAN!"

"Oh god, I _did!_ " she buried her head in her hands in newfound shame. She could sense his confusion but she was in no mood to repeat her explanation. "I-I- can't-! How _could_ I-? How-?!"

Her breathing came in desperate gasps and she could feel herself shaking. She didn't deserve to be treated so kindly! How can these people take in the _beast_ that nearly killed one of their own?! Sh-she needed to get out of here before she harmed another!

"H-hey!" His voice, much softer now, said and she felt a weight at the edge of her bed. She didn't dare look up, hot shame preventing her from doing so. "B-breathe! Humans need air to live, y-you know!"

Oh great, he's trying to cheer her up! She doesn't deserve this-this kindness!

"Err… It's going to be okay! I promise that it is! And I, the Great Papyrus always keeps his promises!"

A hysterical laugh burst from her lungs and she gripped the comforter in claw-like fingers. "I-I _attacked_ you! I could've killed you! And you're trying to comfort me?! _Why don't you hate me?! You're supposed to hate me for what I did!_ "

Lynn struggled to regain her emotions but it was like a dam had burst.

"I can't understand how you guys are so—so kind! _Why?!_ I don't deserve to have this kindness! I-I-I'm a-a—"

The rest of her sentence was cut off when she felt Papyrus's bony arms engulf her and squeeze lightly. She stiffened, convinced that he was getting his revenge and was squeezing her to death. When that was not the case and she realized that the pressure meant to be soothing, comforting, her sobs doubled. Unknowingly, her hands came up and clutched at his shirt like a lifeline, fingers twisting the fabric tightly.

"Don't cry, big human! I don't hate you or what you did! I know you didn't mean it. I-I mean… I heard you tell Toriel e-earlier. About you… I don't blame you, human, for what you did!"

Lynn had no words for that. She merely shook and let her emotions ride out. She wasn't completely convinced that she was forgiven but, for now, relief won out in her internal battle.

"O-oh gods," Lynn muttered, sniffling as she pulled away from Papyrus, "I'm sorry about your clothes! I didn't mean-!"

Papyrus glanced down at his soaked jacket and waved her off with a smile. "NO WORRIES! I HAVE MORE CLOTHES TO WEAR! WHAT DO YOU WANNA TALK ABOUT NOW, BIGISH HUMAN?"

A slightly hysterical giggle burst out of her, startling them both. Papyrus's face lit up and a mischievous light sparkled in his eye… literally.

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL TELL YOU STORIES!"

Despite herself and her still churning emotions, Lynn settled herself into the bed and listened (as well as watched) Papyrus tell ridiculous stories about adventures he and his brother, Sans, went on. She was more than content on letting him talk and absorbing the information presented. An unfamiliar warmth rose in her chest as the hours went by and Papyrus was still talking. It was when lunchtime rolled around and Toriel came back in to bring her more food that Lynn finally recognized what these foreign feelings were.

Fondness. Fondness for this energetic skeleton that had gone well out of his way to comfort her and give her a welcome distraction from the agonizing emotions slogging in her chest. Fondness for that caring, motherly monster that so kindly brought her into her home and put faith in her. Lynn recognized that these feeling were dangerous to her, especially for people she was probably never going to see again, but she could not bring herself to care.

* * *

"Are you sure you do not need anyone to walk you back?"

It was late evening and Lynn, Toriel, and Papyrus stood on the edge of the small town. Lynn forced a smile onto her face, still very awkward with Toriel's concern, and nodded firmly.

"Yeah. I'm the scariest thing in this forest. It's just down the path, right?"

"Yes." Toriel still looked concerned. She placed a large hand on Lynn's shoulder and squeezed softly. "Remember that you are always welcome in my house, Lynn. I wish you the best of health."

"LYNN! YOU HAVE TO COME BACK AND VISIT!" Lynn's smile became genuine when she looked up at Papyrus's grinning face. "I STILL HAVE MANY THINGS TO SHOW YOU! LIKE HOW TO COOK SPAGHETTI! AND EAT NICE CREAM! AND-!"

"Papyrus!" she interrupted, humour in her voice, "I promise to come back! I don't know when I can, but it will be before next month."

"That sounds wonderful, my child."

"SEE YOU SOON THEN!"

Lynn waved as she started down the path. Before she knew it she rounded a bend and she was utterly alone for the first time in twenty-four hours. With a dejected sigh, she pulled up her too-big jeans and continued on. Unwanted thoughts threatened to resurface and she barely kept them at bay with carefully examining her surroundings and listening to her borrowed shoes crunch on the dirt. After a while she got the feeling that she was being watched and had a suspicion she knew who it was.

Lynn paused at the edge of the cabin's clearing and took a moment to look around in the waning light. She noticed how the dirt seemed churned up at the rear of the cabin and her heart sunk. With a deep breath, she tore her eyes away and steeled herself for the coming confrontation.

"I-I know you're there." She called, hating the waver in her voice. Nothing. "Come out. I know you need to get something off your chest."

There was a beat of weighty silence before a soft rustling to her left alerted her to his presence. She half turned and saw a figure, a little shorter than her, emerge from the tree trunks. Behind him was the churned up dirt and she flinched before looking into his dark eyesockets.

"you've heard about me, huh?" the skeleton chuckled humorlessly. Lynn waited on bated breath, chills of warning going down her spine. "'course you have. you spent the day talking with my brother."

Lynn's face screwed up in emotion at the mention of Papyrus. Guilt and shame still batted at her heart, even after Papyrus assured her that he had forgiven her. His expression changed subtly and white pinpricks of pupils sparked in his eyes.

"i'm sure I don't need to reiterate, but you're lucky to be alive right now." That she knew. She still felt she doesn't deserve a second chance. "I can see you know that. heh. if papyrus didn't ask to spare you, you would've bee d."

She didn't bother to hide her shiver. Lynn had a bad feeling about this guy and she didn't want to push him. Sans stared at her and she felt like he was looking into her very soul and judging what was etched there. They stayed like that for several minutes, Lynn not daring to move, barely daring to breathe. That seemed to amuse Sans, if his wider grin was anything to go by.

"if you know what's good for you, don't come back."

Sans held her gaze for another moment before turning to retreat back into the forest.

"Y-you're right." Lynn called out and she heard Sans pause. "I-I don't deserve the others' kindness, especially for hurting Papyrus. He is a wonderful person, too good to be around me. To be quite honest with you, I fully expected to be dead right now. Your hate is refreshingly un-confusing and I have to thank you for that.

"As for destroying me on the spot, I expect you to follow through with that if we meet on bad terms again. Quite frankly, I deserve it. I deserve your hate and I deserve to be killed in the most painful way possible. At least I would pay for all the wrong I have done. You are in the right and I, truly, am sorry for hurting Papyrus the way I did…"

There was a weighty silence and, for a moment, she thought he'd left in the middle of her rambling. The young woman was relieved to hear the crunching of leaves after a moment or two. She picked up her pack from where she dropped it and clambered into her truck. Sighing around the dread gripping her heart, she started up her truck and carefully pulled out of the clearing.

 _Perhaps he should have killed me._ Lynn thought in bitter amusement as she turned onto the dark road. _It'd be a lot less painful than what's waiting for me._


	3. Back For Good

**TRIGGERS: Detailed war flashback, mentions of war wounds, PTSD, and physical abuse.**

 **I'd like to thank everyone who read the last chapter! Though I didn't hear from anyone I still appreciate everyone who gave this story a chance! I still would love to hear from you guys though!**

* * *

 _A week later_

The crackling of dirt under tires reverberated throughout the quiet forest clearing. The crackling slowed to a crawl, then to a stop and the rumbling of the engine sputtered into a silence. Silence washed over the clearing again like the intrusion never happened and Lynn was thankful for it. The young woman inside the cab took a shaky breath. She winced as her body throbbed as one and she carefully folded her arms onto the steering wheel, resting her forehead on them a moment later.

The young woman spared a glance at the haphazard pile of stuff in her passenger seat and emotions, too many to count, hit her like a truck. Lynn hid her face in her arms and cried, ignoring her body as it cried out in pain.

She did it. She finally, after four long years, mustered up the courage to flee. After the utter _hell_ he'd put her through, especially this past week after she hadn't come home when he told her to, she was finally _free_. Free from his manipulations, from his angry tantrums, from the beatings and the rape that'd come after. His abuse had gotten her fired from her job but she didn't care. She was free!

Lynn's breaths came in desperate gasps and hysterical laughter bubbled up from the depths of her soul. She threw her head back and howled in laughter, tears still cascading down her face. She'd even broke her cell phone in the parking lot; the one he used to control her. Well, she was no longer under his thumb and it felt great!

The young woman eventually calmed herself and took a good look at her surroundings.

"Tommy doesn't know about this," Lynn muttered, sifting through the belongings in the passenger seat. "At least, I don't think so. I hope not. I should hide the truck, just in case."

Slinging her pack on her shoulder, Lynn slid out of her old truck and set to work covering the peeling brown vehicle. "For once, I'm thankful you're this ugly ass colour. You blend in better."

She took in a deep breath of the fresh, cool forest air and felt her soul ease. Toriel's gentle offer of shelter still echoed in her mind, but Lynn decided that she wasn't going to take it quite yet. She wanted time to herself, the first she's truly had in a long time.

Lynn's neck twinged sharply when she turned her head too far and she winced, absentmindedly rubbed it, and went back to work covering her truck and tire tracks. It was evening when she found her work satisfactory and made her way to the ramshackle cabin that was her new home.

The inside was as haphazard as the outside and looked like it had been sifted through. Alarm spiked through Lynn's heart before she caught sight of a loose blue scale glinting on the floor. An amused huff puffed out of her lips and she kicked it to the side before getting to work making the cabin livable.

Lynn was moving a table when the leg caught on the only rug and dragged it a few feet. A metallic square imbedded into the worn wood flooring was revealed and Lynn hurried to cover it back up. That was not a place she wanted to go right now, physically or mentally; she had much to do still.

She decided to call it a day after another hour of work and curled up onto the floor in front of the single lantern. She ate a light meal of crackers, jerky, and water before crawling into her sleeping bag and made an attempt to sleep. The hard floor made her body ache worse and the sounds of the forest around her kept her from sleeping easily to sleep. After hours of shifting uneasily and gritting her teeth from pain she found herself finally slipping into a light doze.

* * *

A loud voice nearby instantly had her awake and scrambling out of her sleeping bag. A groan of pain escaped her tightly clenched teeth and Lynn had to steady herself on the rickety table. Her body did not appreciate her sudden movement and it was letting her know.

"THESE FOOTPRINTS WERE NOT HERE YESTERDAY!" a familiar voice announced and Lynn couldn't help but smile in relief. It was just Papyrus and not who she thought it was.

Lynn sighed as she heard Sans reply, emotions starting to churn in her gut. She'd forgotten that their incomplete town was just twenty minutes down the road.

" _I always seem to forget they're here,"_ she thought, a bitterly amused smile twisting her lips.

With a weary and pained sigh, Lynn began to clear away her sleeping things despite the noises the skeleton brothers were making just outside. They'd find her eventually and she could hopefully convince Papyrus to give her some space. Her lips twitched when she heard Papyrus discover her truck and loudly fawn over it. Sans's replies had her chuckling, being filled with puns that Papyrus hated. The tall skeleton had warned her about that little habit and she thought it was the funniest thing to get warned about.

Her amusement faded as she heard them start for the cabin and steeled herself for the eminent encounter. Sans, she knew, would not be happy to see her. Hopefully Papyrus would convince him not to destroy her on the spot, though she supposed that it wouldn't be _too_ bad if she died now.

"BIG HUMAN! ARE YOU IN THERE?" Lynn's smile redoubled and she hastily pushed those thoughts to the back on her mind.

"Hello Papyrus!" Lynn greeted, giving a respectful nod to Sans standing a little ways back before focusing on Papyrus. "See? I came back just like I promised."

"I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, KNEW YOU WOULD! TORIEL IS GOING TO BE SO HAPPY TO SEE YOU AGAIN!"

"Err-" The young woman rubbed at her aching neck. "I think I'm gonna stay here for a bit, Papyrus. You see, I kinda want some time for myself, ya know?"

Her heart ached as Papyrus's features fell in disappointment. She glanced around nervously and jumped when Sans practically appeared next to his brother. The suspicious look he gave her made her heart flutter nervously and set her nerves on edge.

"no, you're going." Sans's white pupils flickered to her neck and back to her face. His semi-permanent grin dimmed into a tight line of teeth. "you need some real food in ya. then you can explain where you got those bruises."

Lynn froze. Colour blossomed over her cheeks as her hand flew to her neck. How did he..?

Sans gave her a searching look before rolling his eyes. "get your things. you seem _bone_ tired."

"SANS!"

Lynn numbly did what she was told, gathering her meager belongings and following the brothers down the path and towards the small town. This was the last thing she expected from the skeleton. He seemed annoyed at her presence, which is something she _did_ expect, but not his concern.

Papyrus stuck be her side as they walked, talking to her about seemingly meaningless topics. She sensed his concern and was relieved when he didn't outright smother her with it. He seemed to know that distracting her was best and she felt her regard for him increase.

Sans put his own two cents in occasionally but seemed content on leading them. She could see him glancing back at her every so often, as if making sure she still followed. That wasn't necessary though; Papyrus wouldn't let her wander off.

They eventually got to the unfinished town and made a bee line to Toriel's house. Sans knocked on the monster-sized wooden door and the sounds of small shuffling feet could be heard from the other side.

A muffled child's voice called, "I got it Mom!"

Sans stiffened at the voice and sent a sidelong glance at the young woman standing behind him. The door handle jiggled a moment before swinging inward, revealing a child.

"Sans!" They chirped, a wide smile splitting their face as they hopped forward to embrace the skeleton. "Papyrus! Here for some of Mom's cooking?"

"DOES SHE HAVE ANY SPAGHETTI?"

"I dunno. I'll ask. Come in!" The child bounded away, possibly in search of Toriel. Papyrus laughed loudly and followed them, leaving Sans and Lynn standing on the porch.

Sans caught Lynn's eye and jerked his head inside, a mocking grin plastered on his face. "ladies first."

Lynn shook her head and took a few tentative steps inside, jumping slightly when Sans shut the door behind them. Her fingers played with the pack straps and she shifted her weight from one leg to the other. Being alone with Sans was enough to set her nerves on edge and his unwavering focus almost had her in a full fledged panic attack.

"relax, would you?" Lynn jumped a mile as his voice shattered the silence. "you're making my bones rattle just lookin' at'cha."

"Little hard when you're standing next to the guy who promised to kill ya next time he saw ya." Lynn cringed at her loose tongue and subconsciously curled into a defensive posture. Damn her and her lack of brain to mouth filter! That's gotten her punished more often than she can count.

There was a weighty pause and Lynn relaxed enough to sneak a peek through her bangs. Sans was still in the same relaxed pose he almost always had and was staring at her with a strange look on his face.

"i think how it was said was 'if we met again on bad terms'." Sans gave her a searching look and she, again, felt like he was looking into her very soul. "looks like you got the crappy side of the stick, kid."

"Ain't no kid," she muttered, tearing her eyes away from his and glaring at the floor. "Haven't been anyone's _kid_ in a long time."

Another weighty silence followed. Lynn's hand reached up and fingered the dogtags she wore around her neck, drawing them over her bottom lip in a subconscious gesture. Large shuffling steps had her practically melting in relief and she looked up in time to see Toriel's kind face as she rounded the corner.

"Oh!" Toriel drew up short, a small smile lifting her lips as recognition lit her brown eyes. "Hello Lynn! I didn't think you'd be back so soon!"

"AS I TOLD YOU!" Papyrus cried as he came in behind her, a giggling child set high on his shoulders. He had an extra bounce to his step, presumably to entertain the child.

"OH!" Papyrus flounced to a stop in front of Lynn. "I FORGOT THAT YOU HAVEN'T MET THE BIG HUMAN! BIG HUMAN, THIS IS OUR LITTLE HUMAN!"

The 'little human' waved, a friendly smile on their face. "Hello! I'm Frisk!"

"Lynn." The woman sent back a small smile. "Pleasure to meet'cha."

"Would you like something to eat?" Toriel interrupted gently, her eyes sparkling in warm merriment. "Papyrus, there is some left over spaghetti from the last time you were here."

Papyrus made to rush into the kitchen but paused when his eyes fell on Lynn. His joy flickered and was replaced by a look of concern. He cleared his throat, lifted Frisk off his shoulders and set them down on the floor.

"ACTUALLY," he said. "I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BE A GOOD FRIEND AND WAIT UNTIL OUR BIG HUMAN IS OKAY. BIG HUMAN, PLEASE ALLOW US TO HELP YOU!"

Lynn felt her face heat as all four people turned to stare at her expectantly. Her hands found the pack's opposite straps and clutched at them, finding a little comfort in the gesture. Her breath stuttered lightly and her heart felt like a rabbit's hammering in her chest.

"My child?" Toriel asked, touching Lynn's elbow gently, retracting her hand slightly when the woman flinched away. "What is it? Are you injured?"

"you could say that," Sans muttered.

If Lynn hadn't been as panicky as she was she would've shot him a dirty look. She could hardly hear him over the pounding of her heart in her ears.

"BIG HUMAN, LET US HELP YOU. PLEASE?"

The begging tone of the normally happy skeleton's voice is what hardened her soul. Though knowing him for such a small time, she _never_ wanted to hear him beg. He was too good to be begging, especially from someone as filthy as her.

Taking a centering breath, she lifted her head and locked eyes with Papyrus, baring her throat and mess of red, purple and, in some places, black bruises showing through her smeared makeup.

She tore her eyes away from Papyrus's gentle and supportive ones when Toriel let out a gasp. Empty, ashamed, dirt-hued eyes met horrified chocolate ones. When they met, something shifted in the chocolate pair, softening and hardening at the same time.

"Papyrus, take Frisk out into town," Toriel ordered, not leaving any room for argument. "Lynn, come with me. Sans, get some warm water and some rags."

"why me?"

"I wanna help, Mom!"

Toriel shot their protests down with a stern look. "Undyne and Alphys are out in town, Sans. You are the only other one here to help me. Frisk, my child, you are helping by keeping out of the way."

"IT'S OKAY LITTLE HUMAN! I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, WILL BUY SOME NICE CREAM AND TAKE YOU TO A HUMAN MOVIE!"

Frisk still looked disappointed but nodded. Papyrus smiled widely and took the child's hand, sending Lynn a worried but hopeful look before shutting the door after them. Lynn didn't have the opportunity to listen to them leave, getting ushered down the hall by a determined Toriel as soon as the door clicked shut.

The room the motherly monster ushered her into she recognized as the same one she'd stayed in before. Lynn was instructed to sit on the edge of the bed, which she obeyed willingly, dropping her pack on the floor beside her feet.

"My child," Toriel started, hesitantly. "I know this will be uncomfortable for you, but I need to check you for more injuries. Could you, um—"

Lynn clutched her upper arms in a moment of anxiety, sending a glance at Sans, who had a bowl of steaming water in his hands and a few towels hanging on his forearms, before sighing in defeat. Looking anywhere but the two monsters helping her, she shed her baggy t-shirt and, at Toriel's gentle insistence, her tattered jeans. Clad in nothing but her undergarments, Lynn shivered and curled into herself, feeling overly exposed and embarrassed at the attention.

"It is alright, my child," Toriel soothed, wetting a cloth and scooting closer to the shaking woman, "Is it alright if I touch your neck now?"

Irrational fear gripped her heart but she nodded anyway. She let the monster tilt her chin up but couldn't help but flinch when the warm cloth touched her abused neck. The cloth pulled back some and understanding eyes searched out hers, patiently waiting for permission to continue. Lynn gulped, steeled herself, and nodded her consent. Toriel gingerly reapplied the cooling cloth, ignored the reactionary flinch, and cleaned off all the makeup hiding the bruises.

"Where in the hell did you get all of these, my child?" Toriel asked as calmly as she could. Lynn could still hear a note of anger in her tone, carefully hidden, and she gulped as more makeup was washed off her face.

Her eyes jumped from the cloth being rubbed on her cheek to Sans, who had sidled up beside Toriel to get a better look. He was still holding the bowl of now-murky water and was cataloging her injuries closely. He glanced up to meet her eyes and she could clearly see contained fury in his eyes. How she could get that from two white pinpricks, she doesn't know, but it was there for a split second before being masked with apathy. Her heart stung for a reason unknown to her and Lynn tore her eyes away to refocus on the makeup-stained cloth.

"I-I" Her throat clenched and she struggled to breath around the icy fingers of fear clenched around her heart. "E-ex."

Both monsters' heads flew up, a flurry of emotions in both their expressions. Lynn flinched at the sudden movement, now wishing that she'd lied.

"Your boyfriend did this to you?" Toriel demanded, no longer hiding her anger. Fire burned behind those chocolate eyes as Lynn meekly nodded, shrinking further into herself.

" _animal,_ " Sans spat and Lynn's heart stuttered in confusion. As if he could read her emotions Sans caught her eye and shrugged. "i dislike you for what you did to papyrus. i hate women-beaters far more."

She didn't know whether to be ashamed or comforted so she simply dropped her eyes to her bruised thighs and sighed. Lynn could hear Toriel's heavy breathing as she fought to regain her composure.

"I apologize," Toriel murmured after a few minutes, taking one of Lynn's hands and squeezing softly. "I did not mean to react like that. I startled you and I am sorry."

Lynn looked into the monster's eyes, flabbergasted. This was a first. Normally she was the one apologizing for her actions. Toriel's eyes flicked down to her neck and then to her shoulder. Her brows furrowed and she gently brushed away Lynn's hair to get a better look. Pity washed over her eyes and she brushed a finger over the newly revealed patch of ruddy and twisted scar tissue there.

"Is this from him too, dearie?"

Lynn stiffened and twisted her torso, effectively separating the curious touch from her skin.

"N-no," Lynn gasped, clenching her eyes shut as screams of pain and the _rat-a-tat-tat_ of rapid gunfire blasted in her ears. The deafening _boom_ of more explosions going off rocked her body and sent waves of sand over her exposed form. The stench of fire and explosives and burning flesh had her head swimming and her stomach churning. Her back felt like someone was clawing at it with burning, twisting fingers and her face was caked with tears and sand and something hot and thick. The utter agony had her speechless and gaping for air that didn't reek of death and fire.

"Lynn!" Someone was shaking her beaten and burned body and more pain shot down her abused spine. Her mind tried in vain to put a face to the voice but the smoke and nauseating stench of her own burnt flesh made her dizzy and mind foggy. Oh God make it stop! Make it STOP! _MAKEITSTOP!_

"kid! you're not there anymore! come back!"

That voice, deep and gritty and full of contained worry pushed through the fog in her mind. It brought to mind images of trees, the smell of dry bones and grease and a pair of frightfully dark eyesockets. Lynn gasped and jolted forward, her eyes flying open as she crashed into something soft and furry.

"kid, look at me." She got the sensation of being turned and a vaguely familiar figure swam into view. The only dark points, _His eyesockets_ , drew her eyes in. White pinpricks sparked into existence, _Sans's pupils_ , she reminded herself, and she was captivated by them.

"can you hear me?" His voice rumbled, the familiarity of it soothing her somewhat and she nodded. "good. now, i will count to four and you breath in through your nose. Exhale through your mouth as i count to seven and we will repeat that. got it?"

Another nod.

"good. one. two. three. four.

"one. two. three. four. five. six. seven."

Sans and Lynn kneeled on the floor repeating the exercise until she had calmed down. Toriel sat and watched the broken woman for any other signs of distress. The monster's eyes drifted over the woman's back and took in the ruddy, mottled, twisted flesh stretching over the tense muscles. Guilt and pity batted at her soul at the sight and she forced herself to look away.

"I-I-I am so sorry!" Lynn gasped, bowing her head in shame. Her fingers clenched into fists on her bruised, bare legs and the woman took a shuddering breath. "I-it happ-pens sometimes."

"You poor child," Toriel murmured, resisting the almost overwhelming urge to scoop this woman in her arms. "I should be the one apologizing. I should have asked before I inquired."

"'S not yer fault," Lynn muttered, leaning back against the mattress. Her bloodshot eyes still flicked about the room and looked empty, distant. A hand came up and clutched the metal tags she still wore like a lifeline. "War does that t' people. I should be used t' it by now."

Toriel and Sans exchanged a grim look. They knew that all too well.

"S-Sans..?" They refocused their attention on the woman. She flashed the skeleton a small thankful smile, nothing more than a quirk of the lips, and murmured, "T-thank you. I-I normally have to go-go through these by my-myself."

A vaguely pained look crossed her face, her coffee eyes reflecting a deep regret. "I know you h-hate me for what I did... rightly so, I might add. B-but, I would really like it if, maybe someday, I could get to-to know you better. Would—would that be... okay..?"

Lynn watched as a multitude of emotions crossed the skeleton's face, too quickly to identify just one. He abruptly pushed himself up and stalked out the door. Both women flinched at the door slamming behind him and Toriel sighed in exasperation.

"Do not worry about him, my child." Toriel offered Lynn a smile, which she returned shakily. "You look exhausted. Go ahead and rest; I will be out in the living room if you need me. You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you need to."

Numb from exhaustion, Lynn just nodded and crawled into the plush bed. A sigh eased out of her as her body sunk into it and she rolled over in time to watch Toriel gather the bowl and towels.

"T-Toriel?" Lynn called softly as the monster crossed the room. She paused and Lynn smiled, pouring all of her gratitude into that simple gesture. "Thank you, truly."

"You are very welcome, my child. Sleep well." With that, Toriel shut the door softly behind her, leaving Lynn to herself and her thoughts.

Slowly, like the sun over a mountain, her smile dimmed until it was no more. With a deep sigh, the woman closed her eyes and felt dread slog in her chest.

 _I wish I could._


	4. New Life, New Purpose

**Trigger Warnings: Mentions of physical, mental, and verbal abuse.**

 **A thank you to everyone who read, favorited, and followed this story! You guys give me hope for this story!**

* * *

A pained hiss flew out of dry, cracked lips as Lynn's body twitched at the sound of a door shutting. The woman stifled a whimper and curled into a ball. Tommy was gonna hate how she looked at the moment and she knew what the price was for not looking her best for him. He hated looking at the bruises blossoming over her skin and she would be in for a good berating for not covering them up.

"-GREAT PAPYRUS HAS RETURNED WITH OUR LITTLE HUMAN!"

Lynn's body jerked again at the shouted words, recognition and pure relief clearing out any dregs of sleep fogging her mind. Tears pricked at her eyes as memories came flooding back. She was _safe_ , for the first time in a long time. She didn't have to worry about always appearing her best and walking on eggshells in fear of 'punishment' These wonderful people have taken her in like she _belonged._ It was a wonderful feeling.

"HOW IS SHE?" Lynn's heart stuttered at the worry in his still-loud voice. Shame filled her and she clutched at the soft comforter. She doesn't deserve his worry.

A sigh was heard, barely audible through the wall. Concern and pity laced Toriel's voice as she replied, "Not good. There are more bruises over her body. She hid a lot of them under layers and layers of makeup on her face, neck, and arms. This has been going on for awhile to be hidden in such a way."

"HOW DID SHE GET THEM?" Lynn buried her head in shame and mortification. Why does the world need to know such personal things?! Now her one and only tentative friend was going to look at her with the same pity that Toriel does! She doesn't deserve their pity or help or kindness! Least of all their kindness.

There was a pause and an exhale. "Her ex-boyfriend. From how she acts there was more done than just physical hurt."

Her heart stuttered at the anger lacing those words. Was it really that obvious..?

"SOOO..." Confusion dripped with every syllable of Papyrus's voice. "LYNN WAS... DATING SOMEONE?"

"Yes." The patience in Toriel's voice told Lynn that this happened often. Despite herself, Lynn found her lips twitching in amusement as he continued.

"AND THAT SOMEONE... HURT... HER?"

There goes the bit of humour she had. "Yes."

"BUT, ACCORDING TO MY DATING BOOK, IT CANNOT BE A DATE IF THEY WERE NOT FRIENDS!" Lynn snorted. Oh gods, he had a _book_ on this? She thought those were hoaxes!

"I... I do not know the circumstances behind it Papyrus. You would have to ask her yourself. I do not think she would appreciate that right now."

"YOU'RE RIGHT! WHAT ELSE HAPPENED?"

Lynn buried her face into her pillow for the rest of the conversation. Toriel described what happened when she accidentally touched her burn scar. It was strange hearing someone describe what happened in detail and not know what was going on in her mind. The monster also commented her surprise at Sans for bringing her back to the present and getting her to calm down again. Toriel summed up what happened after and Sans's abrupt departure. What Papyrus had to say about that caused Lynn's heart to stop in shock and confusion.

"I THINK HE'S BEGINNING TO SEE THAT SHE IS A GOOD PERSON." There was the sound of shuffling bones and Papyrus's voice took on an uncharacteristic contemplative tone. "HE DOESN'T LIKE SEEING ME LIKE... THAT. OF COURSE, I, THE GREAT PAPYRUS, IS TOO COOL TO BE HURT FOR LONG!

"I DON'T KNOW WHEN IT STARTED, BUT HE HAS BECOME VERY PROTECTIVE OF ME. I THINK IT MIGHT HAVE TO TO WITH THE FACT THAT HE HAS VERY BAD NIGHTMARES. BUT HE KNOWS A GOOD PERSON ON SIGHT, JUST LIKE I DO!"

"So," Toriel quietly concluded, understanding clear in her voice. "He is at war with himself. He sees Lynn as a threat to your safety, but is slowly realizing that there is a lot more than what meets the eye. Her expressing her desire to know him better flipped his view of her upside down and he doesn't know how to react."

"EXACTLY!"

Lynn lay, wide-eyed at the revelation. Her own confusion coursed through her veins. How can these people find such redeeming qualities to her? Qualities that she herself doesn't see. How can the person she almost killed turn around and tell her that she is a good person and show her that he wants to befriend her? All her life she has been told that she isn't good enough or that she is lacking somehow. Now there are people that are telling her that she is good. She cannot wrap her mind around it.

With a tired huff, Lynn sat up and bit her lip as her body throbbed as one. Closing her mind to her pain, Lynn slowly crawled out of bed and changed back into her clothing. The rest of her clothes were in her truck and she had no desire to retrieve them quite yet.

The woman sat on the edge of the bed and leaned back on her palms. As undeserving as she is, the feeling of solitude was welcome. She was very thankful towards Toriel for allowing her this opportunity to have her privacy. This... kindness... is something she's just gonna have to get used to, she supposed. At least until they got tired of her bumming around...

With a weary sigh, Lynn stood, stretched, and wandered over to the curtained window. She gently pushed the light cloth aside and watched monsters of all shapes and sizes carry on with their day. Her lips twitched as a frog-like monster hopped across the dirt path and engaged in a conversation with another with croaking voices. Letting her eyes wander now, Lynn examined several half-finished buildings that dotted the landscape. It seems Toriel's house was one of the only to be completely finished.

Lynn stood there and observed the town for a long while before a gentle knock startled her out of her musings. She turned and smiled softly at Toriel's familiar face peeking around the door. The monster returned the smile and shuffled in, hands cradling a plate bearing a slice of steaming pie filled with some kind of meat.

"Sleep well, my child?" Toriel asked softly and Lynn answered with a half shrug.

"Better than normal." Lynn's eyes darted to the food and her mouth started watering. "Dinnertime already?"

"Yes, you slept through lunch." Toriel chuckled lightly at Lynn's sheepish expression and offered the plate. "It's snail pie. You are welcome to eat with Frisk and I in the dining room if you are feeling up to it."

Lynn's hands jolted and she barely managed to save the plate from an unfortunate run in with the floor. "I-I don't wish t-to intrude on your family time..."

"Nonsense. You are a guest and always have a place at my table if you wish it."

"..." Lynn had no words for that. She looked into Toriel's open, gentle face and all she could do is smile in gratitude.

"I-I... may take you up on that offer... at a later date."

"Of course." Toriel smiled in that motherly way of hers and turned to leave. "I hope you like it, my child. I will be back to collect your dishes."

"T-thank you."

"You are very welcome."

Lynn watched Toriel shut the door after her with a soft _click_. The pie's tantalizing scent grabbed her attention once again and the woman shuffled over to the desk to eat. A feeling of vulnerability had her scooting the chair into the corner, only easing when she could see the entire room from her vantage point.

"Never had snails," she muttered to herself, poking the filling with her fork. She shrugged and cut herself a generous amount. "Well, here's to a new life. Bottoms up!"

* * *

"Lynn?" Toriel poked her head around the door and smiled when she saw the woman at the window again and the plate scraped clean. "I take it you liked the pie."

"Yes I did." Lynn gave her a sheepish smile and handed the plate over to Toriel. "Thank you again..."

The monster chuckled lightly and glanced at the empty plate. "There is more in the kitchen if you are still hungry."

An excited spark lit up in Lynn's eyes before she reigned it back in. "I... I'll probably have some more... a little later."

"Alright. Is there anything you need..?"

To Toriel's surprise Lynn's cheeks darkened slightly and the woman diverted her eyes to the floor nervously.

"M-maybe someone to... to keep me... company..?"

Toriel's smile was soft and understanding. She could see that something else was bothering the young woman and decided to push just a bit.

"Would you mind terribly if we moved out into the dining room? I have to wash the dishes and make sure Frisk does not sneak into the cinnamon-butterscotch pie I have cooling."

Lynn looked nervous and her hands fluttered about her midriff. Toriel waited patiently as Lynn came to a decision.

"I-I guess it would be... good... to get out of the room for awhile." Lynn took a deep breath and her face hardened in a familiar expression. Toriel's soul jumped slightly at the determination on the woman's face, years blurring before her eyes and she thought she saw Frisk looking back at her. A startled blink cleared that away and she covered her lapse of attention with a gentle smile.

"It would. Come and we will get you something to drink. What would you like?"

"Do you have anything with caffeine? Coffee? Tea? Cola?"

"I have some tea. Would you like some?"

"...Yes please."

* * *

Lynn eased out a relieved sigh as the beginning throbs of a caffeine headache drained away. The heat of the tea felt wonderful on her calloused and scarred hands and the smell sent pleasurable tingles down her spine. The sound of dishes clinking in the sink and water sloshing around soothed her and her lips lifted in an amused grin as Toriel hummed under her breath.

From the other room the sound of the TV could be heard along with the occasional giggle from Frisk. It seemed like a game show with that robot monster... Mettaton or whoever. Whats-their-face had come onto the public scene shortly after the monsters revealed themselves with Frisk advocating for them.

Lynn remembers watching the breaking news from the TVs they had at the cafe. She remembers the customers thinking it was a huge hoax and expressing disbelief at the entire thing. When more news coverage came out and it was proven without a doubt that this was real she remembers many snide comments and jokes from the people she served. For her personally it was quite irritating and depressing. If this is the reaction that people have towards these 'new' monsters, then what would happen when it was discovered that they've been coexisting all this time?

"Lynn," Toriel's gentle voice startled her out of her thoughts and she turned a lopsided sheepish grin towards the monster. "Are you doing well?"

"Yeah. This tea is really good. What kind is it?"

A weird expression flitted over Toriel's face at the question, her eyes going distant and sad. Alarmed, Lynn made an attempt to backtrack.

"I-Is it a secret family recipe? I'm sorry, I-I didn't k-know-"

"It is nothing you did," Toriel cut her off, shaking herself out of whatever funk she was in and gave Lynn a small smile. "I am an old lady and worry over nothing. The tea is... a favourite of mine. It is made with a golden flower we have growing in the Underground."

"A-awesome. It-It's really good. Thank you." Lynn released a shaky, relieved sigh. She didn't overstep her boundaries and she was safe for another night.

Toriel sat across from her, a plate of cinnamon-butterscotch pie in hand. Lynn waited patiently as the monster took a bite before voicing the first of her concerns.

"U-um, am I really... allowed... to stay here..? I-In this town, I mean." Lynn stared down at the amber tea, gently swirling it around in the human-sized mug. "I-I'm sure what I-I did has already circulated the town. I-I don't want anyone to feel... unsafe... around me, ya know?"

"That... is a legitimate concern, my child." Toriel's voice took on a contemplative quality. "However, the only solution I see, without you going back to... wherever you came from, is for you to stay here."

Fear wrapped around Lynn's heart and she shook her head wildly. She'd do _anything_ to keep from going back there! Tommy would straight up kill her for daring to leave him!

"I can see that is not an option for you either." Toriel's voice pulled her back from those thoughts and Lynn shot her a grateful look. Toriel met her look with a serious one. Equal parts of trust and sternness swam in those chocolate eyes and Lynn was instantly reminded of how a queen would look.

"You are going to have to prove you are not a threat and build up trust." Lynn nodded, expecting that answer. Toriel looked her up and down and her expression softened some. "I know you do not mean any harm to me or to these people. Papyrus and Undyne, to an extent, do too. The rest of the monsters do not."

"I know," Lynn murmured, rolling the mug in between her hands. Her teeth pulled on her bottom lip as she contemplated her next answer. "Believe me, Sans made the consequences perfectly clear last time I was here. Hurting more people is the absolute last thing I wish to do. Is there any way for me to prove myself to these people..?"

"Hmmm... Well, I can ask around to see if anyone needs any help finishing their homes..." Lynn perked up, her eyes sparkling with reluctant hope. Her fingers gripped the mug a little tighter, as if they could contain her excitement.

"I-I have some experience in construction." Lynn's fingers fluttered on the porcelain. "In the I-Iraqi War... one of t-the human wars, my platoon's mission was to-to help the people rebuild after the-the war destroyed their homes."

Toriel looked intrigued but refrained from prying more. Lynn was feeling too eager and hopeful to really notice. Her fingers tapped on the porcelain mug and she seemed to wiggle in her seat like an energetic dog. The sight brought a smile to Toriel's face.

"Well, it seems that we have settled it. You will work with the people here to get these homes built and, in exchange, you will have a home here."

"Yes! I'll get started first thing tomorrow!" Lynn's eyes were sparkling in newfound hope. She leveled a wide grin at the goat monster and was practically glowing in excitement.

"A-are you sure, my child? You are still injured..." Lynn glanced down at herself and gave a dismissive wave.

"I've survived worse." Toriel's eyes darkened in anger and Lynn realized how that sounded given what the monster knows. The woman debated a moment on correcting herself but decided to let it go. There's no need to complicate things even more.

Toriel gave Lynn a thin-lipped look and glanced at the clock, features morphing into one of shock. "Oh my! Look at the time! It is almost midnight! Where is Frisk?"

Lynn turned around in her seat to get a good look at the couch. A soft smile lifted her lips when she saw the child curled up and sleeping rather soundly. With a soft cluck of her tongue, Toriel got up and carefully scooped her up into her arms.

"I will speak to everyone," she whispered and Lynn nodded.

"Thank you. Good night."

"Good night Lynn."

Lynn watched as Toriel carried Frisk out of sight and allowed her smile to widen. Butterflies flittered in her stomach and she reveled in the feeling of being excited, something she wasn't allowed to feel in a long time.

Finishing her tea, Lynn washed out her mug and retreated to her borrowed room. She quietly padded her way across the dark room and peered out the window and into the night. Well, what was night for everyone else. Ever since she'd been bit, all those years ago, many of her senses were heightened, including her night vision. Night for her now was like looking at the world lit through dense clouds.

Lynn sighed as she felt the half moon rise in the east. That was another thing that changed; her ability to sense where the moon is at at all times. She supposed that it was a good thing. She could gauge with accuracy just how much time she had before becoming an animal.

A shiver ran down her spine at the thought and she dropped the curtain, turning her back to the peaceful forest night. That was no place she wanted to go right now. She moved towards the desk and turned the lamp on with a _click_. The wan yellow light blinded her and she spent the next few seconds blinking tears out of her eyes.

With an amused huff she sat down at the chair and carefully pulled open the first drawer, discovering a spiral bound notepad and several pencils and pens. Curiosity beat out her sense of privacy and she flipped the notebook open. Nothing. She flipped to several more pages and discovered the same thing.

"Well, no need to let a perfectly good notebook go to waste."

Lynn dug around for a pencil that felt nice in her hand and set to writing down what had transpired the last few weeks. Keeping a journal was something she'd grown used to in the military, where it was encouraged to keep a 'war journal'. She found it helped her keep her mind focused on what needed to be done and kept her sane. It felt right to her that she kept this pattern up now that her life had, once again, drastically changed.

The moon was a quarter through its journey through the sky when Lynn exhausted her writing muse and flipped the book shut. She'd filled several pages with her experiences, thoughts and raw feelings and now she felt she needed to stop for the night.

Lynn looked around for a place to hide her journal. She had no desire for anyone to read what goes on in her head. After a bit of examining potential hiding places and weighing the pros and cons, Lynn decided to move the desk out half and inch and hid it behind there. She insured that only a little bit of it was visible so she could find it again and flopped into the bed. Not even bothering to undress, mainly because it would be weird to in a strange house, she crawled into bed and allowed a light doze to take over her.

* * *

The first rays of sunlight peeking over the dense trees was what woke Lynn. A weary sigh escaped her lips and, with great effort, sat up. Her body throbbed as one and Lynn took a moment to reexamine her injuries. Some of them were starting to turn green and the oldest ones were pretty much gone. She dropped the hem of her shirt and, with a groan, stood up and stretched.

Lynn took a moment to test the air of the house. So far no one else in here was awake, though she could hear others shuffling around outside. With an impatient sigh, Lynn bounced on the balls of her feet for a moment before scooping up her pack and heading quietly out the door. The woman moved silently though the house and padded outside. She closed her eyes briefly, enjoying the chill of the morning, and retraced her way back to the cabin. If she was going to be working today she would need her truck and a change of clothes.

Lynn paused when she got to the clearing and carefully examined the area for anything out of place. Nothing seemed to be changed and Lynn let out a relieved sigh. So far, so good. No one seems to have come looking for her here and that was a relief in itself.

The woman trudged through the tall grass and unburied her trusty truck. It took her the better part of the hour to clear off most of the debris she had on it and another few to get it started up. She carefully drove it up the pathway, watching for any monsters on the road, and parked it next to Toriel's house. The motherly monster was waiting for her inside the doorway when she shut the engine off and slid out of the drivers' seat.

"I was wondering where you went off to." Toriel commented, light tone trying and failing to cover the underlying worry.

Lynn smiled guiltily from her spot beside the truck and went around back to unhinge the tailgate. "Sorry for waking you Toriel. I needed things out of this ol' war pony though."

"Is that what you call it?" Humour laced Toriel's voice and Lynn smiled as well.

"Yeah. He's been through a lot since I got 'im. He's about as old as me."

"Really now?" Lynn hummed her affirmative as she came around with a worn, stylish box in one hand, several bulging plastic bags under both arms, and a pair of heavy, brown battered boots in the other hand.

"Do you mind if I have some of my things in the guest room Toriel?"

"Not at all! It is yours until you find a permanent place to stay."

Lynn shot her a grateful grin. "Thank you, truly. I need to change into some working clothes. I'll be right out."

"Alright. I will do some asking around for you."

Lynn smiled in greeting at a groggy Frisk as she passed her by in the living room and made a bee-line to her room. She quickly changed into a light grey tank top, a pair of raggedy jeans and pulled on her old combat boots. Lynn took a moment to reflect on how those boots had saved her life more than she could count. She shook her head, a soft smile on her lips, and opened the box sitting beside her on the bed.

The woman eyed the jumbled mass of makeup products and picked up a hand held mirror, turning it to reflect her face and neck in the silvered glass.

"Didn't realize they were _that_ bad," she mumbled, moving to the desk and setting another, larger mirror on it. Lynn repressed a sigh, adjusted the mirror slightly, and plucked a product seemingly at random from her box. "Thank God for makeup."

Lynn was out the door twenty minutes later looking like she'd healed overnight. The woman glanced around the town and spotted the familiar figure of Toriel speaking with a monster who seemed to be made up of flames. Intrigued, Lynn made her way to them and greeted Toriel.

"Oh, good! You are out!" Toriel gave her a look over, eyes lingering over the skin of her neck and arms. Her eyes narrowed slightly and her mouth thinned but she kept her silence.

"Yeah. Took a little longer than I was expecting." Lynn shifted slightly, a little uncomfortable. "Any luck?"

"Oh! Yes, I found you some work." Toriel gestured to the monster and he nodded respectively. "This is Grilby. He ran a bar and restaurant Underground and wishes to move his business up here. He needs help finishing his new establishment."

Lynn turned and gave the fiery monster a confident grin. "Whatever needs to be done I'm on it! Where are your blueprints?"

Grilby didn't say anything, instead lifting a brow and looking her up and down. He nodded after a moment and turned back to the building's shell, gesturing with a hand to follow. Lynn gave Toriel a bright smile of gratitude and swiftly followed, looking over a series of blueprints tacked to a cork wall.

"Alright, so you still need a fully functional kitchen in the back... And the bar is gonna connect to it?" Lynn glanced over her shoulder for conformation. He nodded. "Cool. Since this is a bar, will there be an entertainment area somewhere? Like a stage for a band to play on?"

The fire monster looked quizzical and she moved to the side to show him the idea quickly forming in her brain.

"Well, this space looks kinda empty, see?" She pointed to the area in question and started sketching out her idea with a finger. "Well, we could make some accommodations, a raised platform for example, and voila! An all-purpose entertainment area! There could be special promo nights, like... a comic night! Karaoke another night, an open-mic night, and other things! It could bring some tourists and that's good business."

Grilby looked intrigued with the idea. He adjusted his glasses, leaned closer to the blueprint, and glanced back and forth between the paper and the area where the proposed idea would be. After a minute or two of internal debate he nodded his agreement. Lynn beamed, so happy to be useful for once, and stuck out a hand.

"Awesome! I will do everything in my power to do this right!"

Grilby shook her hand and, together, got to work on finishing the new restaurant.

* * *

 _Three weeks later_

"Lynn? Could I have a word with you?"

Lynn turned and gave Toriel a wan smile. "I'm gonna be fine Tori. Really."

Toriel gave her a stern look, crossing her arms in that motherly way of hers. "Are you sure? Will you need anything? Food? Water? You haven't eaten anything today."

Lynn sighed and zipped up her bag. She stood and slung it over a shoulder. "I'm positive, Tori; I've been doing this for many years. No, I'll eat tomorrow. The transformation goes a little smoother if I have an empty stomach."

The monster still looked uncertain and worried and Lynn strode forward to give her a hug. Toriel sighed and engulfed the woman that she viewed as another daughter in her large arms.

"I am sorry for bothering you so, Lynn. I am an old lady and I cannot help but worry."

"I know, and it's fine," Lynn mumbled, drawing away. She gave Toriel an understanding smile. "I can't say that my own mother was ever this... mothery. It's... It's a nice change."

Toriel smiled warmly. "I am happy to give that to you if you wish. However, I think that someone else wants to speak with you."

Lynn glanced down and grinned at Frisk, who was patiently waiting her turn. "Hey kiddo. You here to wish me luck too?"

Frisk fiddled with her fingers for a moment and nodded. Lynn knelt and opened her arms wide and Frisk launched herself into them, clinging to the woman tightly.

"I'll be okay Frisk, I promise." Lynn felt Frisk nod into her shoulder and her smile widened.

"I know," Frisk mumbled, drawing back and placing her small hands on the woman's shoulders. She gave Lynn a look that belied her young age; one of the purest confidence and determination. "I'm making sure you know you will be. You have me, Mom, Papyrus, Grilby, and almost everyone here for you. You are a good person even though you have to endure this every month."

Lynn was at a loss for words. She never knew how this child—no, this _adult_ in a child's body—pegged exactly what was bothering her. She and Frisk had grown close in the weeks she'd lived in Toriel's house. Lynn had noticed that Frisk rarely acted her age and treated her as such.

"T-thanks," Lynn finally whispered, fighting back tears. She gave the kid a tight hug, putting all her gratitude in that gesture. "I needed that. Make sure Sans doesn't get into too much trouble."

"I'll try."

Lynn chuckled and stood, readjusting the pack on her shoulder. She glanced out the window, noted that the light was starting to shine red, and took a deep steadying breath.

"I'll be back sometime tomorrow... Don't wait for me to have breakfast Tori, alright?"

"...Alright... Be safe, my child."

With a nod to acknowledge Toriel, Lynn stepped out the door and lightly jogged out into the late afternoon light. She could feel that she had roughly an hour before the full moon shone its bulbous face over the earth. She still needed to hurry; she had to get past her safeguards.

It took only fifteen minutes for Lynn to arrive at her cabin. She passed an uncaring eye over the newer woodwork—work she did herself on her free time from building New Grilby's—and rushed into the cabin itself. She tossed her bag onto the rickety table and grasped the dusty rug covering the back half of the wooden floor. She tugged it aside and revealed a square of metal embedded into the floor.

Lynn slipped her fingers under a small lip and tugged the covering up. The thick steel groaned as it was lifted and Lynn made a mental note to oil the hinges later. She didn't bother trying to peer into the darkness as she took the time to undress and slip her bare foot into the shaft. The werewolf shivered involuntarily when her skin met the cold metal of a ladder rung, ultimately ignoring it as she started to descend.

The trapdoor swung shut with a harsh _clang_ above her. Lynn's hand shot out as soon as the darkness descended on her and her fingers found a metal wheel. She yanked it to her left and the sound of metal sliding on metal met her ears. As soon as it stopped she lowered her hand to another wheel right below the first one and repeated the process, this time to her right.

Lynn tested the air as soon as she was locked in and gave a sigh of relief. She made it with fifteen minutes to spare. Now all she needed to do was wait.

The werewolf descended the rest of the way, roughly eighteen more feet, and slid a dented and deeply scratched piece of metal to cover the last seven feet of rungs. She then turned her attention to the room, the 'Dungeon' as she called it, and impatiently paced the edges. Though she tried to stop herself, Lynn couldn't help but notice the deep scratches, claw marks, in the dirt and piecemeal metal walls and ceiling. The floor and walls were splattered in ruddy brown stains, her own blood.

The minutes rolled by and Lynn could feel the sun's hold weakening and the moon's strengthening. A sudden jolt of fire in her arm told her that the moon had risen. With a pitiful whimper, Lynn pressed herself into a corner and allowed the beast to take over.

* * *

"Mom..?"

"Yes, my child? Could you not sleep?"

"Kinda..."

"What is wrong, my child?"

"...Do you think Lynn will really be okay?"

There was a beat of silence and then a quiet sigh. The chair creaked and cloth rustled for a moment before settling.

"She has been living with this for many years. I think she knows how to care for herself right now."

"..."

"Ah, do not look so worried. Would you like some hot chocolate?"

"Thanks Mom. Papyrus is worried about her..."

"I know he is. She is a very dear friend to him."

"...I think even Sans is worried... and not about our safety."

That keen observation brought a small smile to the weary monster's face. More cloth crinkled and the armchair groaned it was relieved from her weight.

"I think so too. Come, let us get you that hot chocolate."

"Can I have a piece of pie too?"

A soft chuckle could be heard as the two shuffled towards the kitchen.

"Of course you can."

* * *

 **Reviews would be wonderful! ^w^ Happy reading!**


	5. A Hiccup in the Plan

**Trigger warning: mentions of blood, murder, panic attacks, and strong language.**

 **Thank you** **MelanaAdara for the review last chapter! Again, in case you've forgotten, I welcome feedback of all kinds! If you hate it, please say why you hate this! If you love it, please share! Thank you for reading!**

* * *

" _I hate this_."

The hissed confession echoed around the chamber, mocking Lynn as she panted and whimpered on the cold and sticky floor. A shiver ran up her spine as the last of her transformation completed and she groaned. It took her a few minutes to muster up the energy to sit up and another few before she completed the task. Her stomach lurched and she swallowed down bile before wearily crawling towards the ladder.

She used a wall to help her stand when she got to the entrance and peeled the protective covering off the icy rungs. Lynn steadfastly ignored the fresh claw marks and bloodstains on both the metal and her hands as she pulled herself back up to civilization. She fumbled a bit with the locking mechanism but ultimately succeeded in freeing herself from the self-constructed hellhole.

The morning light blinded her and she hissed in pain. When her eyes finally adjusted she tugged the rug over the metal hatch and allowed herself to take stock of her new wounds.

"Ow," she muttered, prodding a particularly long scratch and reached for her pack. "Note to self: put fuckin' caps on my claws next time."

She cleaned and bandaged her wounds the best she could and pulled clean clothes over her nude body. Lynn sighed and welcomed the weight of the clothes, feeling a little bit more human before sinking into the rickety chair. Exhaustion hit her like a truck and she allowed her eyes to drift closed.

A sudden knock startled her out of a light doze and she found herself falling out of the chair. Groaning, Lynn picked herself back up and reluctantly shuffled towards the door.

"Hey, I'm not really up to compa—Toriel? What are you doing here?"

Toriel smiled, though it did not ease the worry in her eyes. "I-I wanted to make sure you were alright, my child. May I come in?"

"Err..." Lynn glanced back into the cabin and wrinkled her nose at the bloodstains still visible. "I was going to come home anyway. Fell asleep before I could though. Lemmie get my things real quick."

Toriel nodded and Lynn left the door ajar while she quickly stuffed her things back into her bag. Within a few minutes she had her shoes on, bag slung over her shoulder, and was out the door.

At Toriel's astonished stare she shrugged and stated, "I'm very used to packing quickly."

Toriel hummed and led the two back down the path to the developing town. Lynn fell into old training and kept the pace despite her exhaustion. If Toriel noticed the change in her demeanor she didn't say anything, choosing to admire the environment instead.

Toriel paused on the outskirts of New Ebott and gently touched Lynn's arm. Lynn stopped and gave the old monster a quizzical look, to which Toriel smiled slightly.

"Before we continue in, I wanted to share an observation with you," Toriel said and Lynn cocked her head to one side. "Do you remember one month ago, when we first met?"

The woman flinched and bowed her head in shame. "Yeah... When I..."

"Yes..." Toriel cleared her throat and gently placed a hand on the woman's shoulder, letting her lift her head when she regained her self control. "In the last few weeks I have seen such a transformation in you. You have gone from a remorseful, fragile person to a more confident, lively young woman and I cannot be more proud of you. I have a feeling that you have not completely healed from whatever happened before this, but you are off to a wonderful start."

Lynn was silent for a long moment, head lowered in thought. When she finally lifted her head again, gratitude shown in her dark eyes.

"Thank you for that," she whispered, wiping her tears away before they could fall. "I couldn't have done this if it wasn't for meeting you and Papyrus. I think if I had stayed with... with Tommy... I would probably be dead by now. So I thank _you_ for saving my life."

Toriel returned her smile. "I am happy to know that I was a part of your life change, Lynn. Come, let us break fast; Frisk is anxious to see you."

Lynn's smile softened at the mention of the child. "Yeah. I do hope you two got _some_ sleep."

"Frisk was too worried for your welfare to sleep."

"Ah. Poor kid. That one needs sleep more than I do."

Toriel hummed her agreement and the two continued, a companionable silence stretching between them. As they passed through town Lynn stared in pride at all the completed structures, most of them she helped with. Her biggest accomplishment was the almost finished New Grilby's restaurant and bar; all they needed was furniture and the kitchen equipment and it would be completely done. The entire town was talking about it.

"Have you already cooked breakfast?" Lynn asked as their shared house came into view. Toriel shook her head.

"No. I wanted you to have something fresh. You had a long night, my child."

"So did you," Lynn shot back, "I insist on helping you today."

A small smile graced the monster's lips. "Alright, since you're so adamant about it."

Lynn stifled her smile and mentally cheered; she'd been trying to get Toriel let her take on more of the household chores, including cooking. This is the first time the strict motherly monster had conceded to her on this.

Lynn let Toriel open the door and, at Toriel's insistence, stepped through first. She jumped as an explosion of noise erupted and yelped as she was swept up by a pair of bony arms.

"I WAS SO WORRIED ABOUT YOU!"

Lynn relaxed when she realized it was Papyrus and giggled tiredly at his antics.

"I'm fine Pap, really! Also, can't breathe!"

"OH!" The skeleton hastily set her back on her feet and she gasped for air. "I'M SORRY! BUT WE WERE SO WORRIED ABOUT HOW YOU WERE DOING AND IF YOU NEEDED HELP!"

"'M fine, Pap. Just tired."

Papyrus smiled down at her and pulled her in for a gentler hug. Lynn smiled and patted her best friend's ribs, allowing herself to relax now that she was home.

"'ey," Lynn pulled away at the familiar deep voice, eyes searching the other brother out. He was leaning against the hallway wall and watched her with guarded eyes. "you okay kid?"

Lynn made a face at the nickname but nodded. "Other than being _bone_ tired, I'm perfectly fine. Thank you for asking."

His eyes lightened and his grin widened in amusement. "you certainly have a _punny_ sense of humour."

"Why, did I tickle your funny bone?" Now a grin was starting to stretch across her face.

Sans chuckled as Papyrus groaned in disgust. "yeah, you're okay kid. take care of yourself, a'right?"

"Of course."

"Lynn..?" A very drowsy Frisk appeared in the hallway and the woman smiled softly down at her.

"Yeah, it's me. I'm okay, just a little banged up and tired. You up to breakfast soon?"

Frisk rubbed tired eyes and nodded. Sans took her hand and led the kid to the couch where they curled up against the skeleton and fell back asleep. Lynn chuckled at the sight, shook her head, and retreated into the kitchen where Toriel was already starting breakfast.

"Lynn, would you mind making the eggs? I know how you and Frisk like them scrambled."

"Sure. Are the skelebros staying for breakfast."

"It seems like it."

* * *

It was another half hour before the food was served and everyone crowded around the table. Toriel allowed Lynn to give Frisk a sip of her coffee to help her wake up and not fifteen minutes later the kid was bouncing off the walls. The minute that Frisk was excused she zoomed across the living room and turned on the TV. The channel was set on the local news and Frisk was about to change it when a developing story caught their attention.

"-rly this morning a mutilated body was found on the outskirts of town. Police are saying that this is a likely case of an animal attack but there is an investigation in progress."

The scene cut to an image of a cop's face and Lynn's face went white. Her hands started to shake and her food felt like lead in her stomach.

"Officer Thomas Brent was the first on the scene this morning. Officer Brent, could you describe what you saw when the call was made?"

The sandy-haired man looked grim as he started telling his story. "I got a call at around eight o'clock this morning about someone finding a body. I was one of the first officers on the scene. The man, from his wounds, looked like he'd been mauled by something like a very large wolf or small bear. I cannot comment further until our investigation is complete."

"Do you think the culprit is among the Mt. Ebott monsters that have settled several miles north?"

Lynn felt anger replace her fear as the officer's face changed subtly. She knew that look in his eye and knew that it did not bode well for them.

"All I can say is that we are not dismissing the possibility, as slim as it is. I'm sorry but I have to cut this short."

"That's alright. Thank you for serving our community, Officer."

"Shut it off," Toriel commanded weakly and Frisk did so immediately.

Lynn dropped her head into her shaking hands and swallowed down uneasy bile. She could feel everyone's eyes on her, demanding an explanation to her reactions.

"I," she started hoarsely and she cleared her throat. "I swear to God and everything holy that I did not do it. I _couldn't_ have! I was locked up all night!"

"Lynn," Toriel started softly but Lynn's head shot up and she stared at her with pleading eyes.

"You have to believe me Toriel! I-I couldn't have! You saw me earlier; I was in my cabin all night! I-I-I can't risk being thrown out by you too! Oh God, please don't make me go back to _Him_!"

"lynn!" Sans's voice cut through her panic and she shakily turned to face him. The anger and disgust that she feared would be in his eyesockets weren't there, much to her relief. Instead there was confusion and no small amount of worry.

"we believe you." Those three words had her practically melting in relief.

"Oh God, thank you."

Before another word could be spoken a loud ringing had everyone jumping in their seats. Toriel rummaged in her pockets and withdrew her phone, excusing herself from the table to answer it.

"Hello? This is Toriel speaking."

A human's voice came out of the tiny device, unintelligible to no one except Toriel.

"Yes, we saw the news report this morning."

"I can assure you that none of my people have to do with it."

"I—alright. Fine. Goodbye."

Toriel flipped her phone shut and turned back to them with a stern and slightly angry look on her face.

"The Federal Bureau of Investigation is coming down to talk with us. They seem to suspect that we had something to do with this."

Lynn remained silent as the others shouted in protest.

"that is really unfair. we did nothing worthy of suspicion other than exist."

"LYNN DIDN'T DO ANYTHING THOUGH!"

Toriel held up a hand and the skeletons fell silent. She turned to Lynn, who had her head cradled in her hands, and said, "We will do everything we can to protect you, Lynn. You are family and you will be treated as such."

Lynn exhaled shakily and lifted her head, scared eyes meeting the monster's gentle ones. "Toriel, you guys are being investigated by the FBI. I can and will not let you risk everything you guys have worked for just to save my sorry ass. I-I figured that I would have to r-reveal myself to the government sooner or later..."

Lynn gulped and supported her chin with her hands, fingers covering her mouth as she stared at the blank TV screen.

"It doesn't help that I saw my ex in that interview..."

"that woman beater is a freakin' cop?!"

Lynn flinched and clenched her eyes shut. That was the answer that they needed.

"no wonder you refuse to go into the human town..."

Lynn abruptly shoved herself away from the table, silently took her half-eaten breakfast to the fridge and dipped her head to Toriel.

"Thank you for the breakfast Tori; it was good as always. I'm gonna lay down for a bit. Thank you all for your concern."

With that, Lynn stiffly walked past all of them and down the hall. They heard a door open with a soft _click_ , footsteps shuffling, and then a very purposeful _thunk_ of the door shutting again. When Lynn was safely in her room the remaining people turned to each other, serious looks on all of their faces.

"what do we do now? let them take lynn when they come?"

"That is out of the question! Lynn has proven herself a trustworthy and hardworking individual. She has done nothing but help us to make up for what she did to Papyrus."

"SANS, I HAVE FORGIVEN HER FOR WHAT SHE HAS DONE. WHY CAN'T YOU GIVE HER A CHANCE?"

Sans ran a hand down his face, frustration clear in every line of his posture. "thats not th' point im trying to make here."

"Then what point _are_ you trying to make, Sans?"

They all turned to Frisk, who had remained silent up until this point. The skeleton heaved a sigh from the very depths of his soul and rubbed his skull tiredly.

"point is, we cant go through another war with the humans. they'd kill us in a heartbeat. lynn said herself that she wouldnt hide what she is if it would hurt us. Now, im beginning to like the girl, but we cant hide her if it means another war with the humans. what do we do if they demanded her arrest?"

His question was met with silence as everyone present thought on his words.

"That is something we would need to discuss with her."

* * *

The monsters had agreed to spread the news with the other monsters and they would meet at Asgore's house when the FBI came. Lynn remained asleep during most of the preparations and woke shortly before Toriel came home to rouse her again.

She was just coming out of the shower when the monster walked through the door and got a full view of her newest injuries. Toriel remained silent as Lynn slipped back into her room and busied herself with cleaning the already clean house. The woman walked back out a few minutes later fully dressed, still grim, and watched Toriel flitter around the house.

"Tori," Lynn started softly, leaning against the wall and grasping her arms, "I just wanted to say that it was wonderful getting to know you and everyone else here."

Toriel spun on her heel, a stern look on her face. "You are not going with those people if we can help it, Lynn. You have a family here and we will fight to keep you."

Lynn stared at the ground and dug her nails into the flesh of her arms. "I will not endanger anyone here, Tori. If they want me then I will go without a fight."

"But—"

"Toriel." Lynn pushed herself off the wall and faced her fully. "Sans was right earlier; you guys can't afford to go to war again. I will not be the one who brings it upon your people, Toriel. You guys deserve better then what you guys are getting."

Lynn's stare softened, now more introspective than firm. "If it's my head that they want in exchange for leaving your people in peace then who am I to deny them? Whatever they do, I wanted to say that I will never forget your generosity and your part in making my life bearable. I will see you at Asgore's when the time comes."

With that Lynn spun on her heel and walked out of the house, leaving a stunned Toriel. The monster squeezed her eyes shut, cursed humanity's need to discriminate, and sat in the nearest chair. Yet again humans were trying to tear her small family apart.

It was nearing sunset when a sleek black car pulled into the small town. Two men dressed in identical black suits and sunglasses stepped out of the car and walked towards the assembled group of the leading monsters. Asgore stepped forward and offered a giant furry hand to them.

"It is a pleasure to meet you," he rumbled amiably. The man closest to them with pale blonde hair took his hand first and gave it a firm shake.

"I am Agent Wallace and this is my partner, Agent Abbott. We are here to speak with the leaders of this... community."

"That would be myself and several of my kinsfolk behind me."

"Excellent. Do you have anywhere private to discuss this?"

"Yes... If you would follow me."

The agents and the other notable monsters followed Asgore to his house on the other end of town. Lynn was among them, purposefully placed on the other side of Toriel and on the outside of the group. She made it appear that she was strolling casually but in reality she was carefully watching the agents out of the corner of her eye.

Asgore allowed the agents to enter his house first and the rest of the monsters filed in, taking seats around the large dining table. The agents set their briefcases down beside their chairs and waited until everyone is settled before beginning.

"I'm sure you are all aware of the circumstances that has brought us to you," Agent Wallace began, folding his hands onto the table. "There has been a brutal murder on the outskirts of the human city a few miles south of here."

Several of them nodded.

"Now, we normally don't investigate murders like this; we let the local police deal with it. However, the location of this specific one, the manner of death, and the fact that there has been several monsters seen in the city caught our attention."

"I can guarantee," Toriel started coolly, "that none of our people had anything to do with this. We have no ill will towards the humans, especially since there is still so much distrust between our civilizations."

"Are you sure, Mrs. Dreemurr?"

"Please do not call me that; Toriel is fine. I am positive of this fact."

"My apologies Toriel, let me rephrase. How can you be so sure _all_ of your people don't have any intentions, ill or otherwise, towards humans?"

"It is how monsters work," Asgore inserted, giving the agents a wary look. "We are made up of kindness and magic. No monster will attack unless it is to defend themselves."

Agent Wallace merely lifted an eyebrow but said nothing more on the subject. He and his partner exchanged glances and the dark-haired man took up the conversation.

"Are you all aware that this took place on the night of the full moon? Are there any monsters that become violent on the full moon?"

At this everyone shifted uncomfortably, some shooting nervous glances at each other. The agents picked up on this and swept the amassed monsters with suspicious eyes.

"You do realize it is a federal offense to lie to a federal agent, Miss. Toriel?" Agent Wallace demanded coolly, expression utterly serious as she nodded. "Now, who is it?"

Lynn lifted her chin slightly in challenge. "I am. Toriel didn't lie to you; I'm not one of the monsters that migrated from the Underground and so I am not one of her people."

"But you're a monster?" Agent Wallace's voice was dubious and Lynn's lips twitched in humour.

"I am a werewolf, sir. I was bitten close to ten years ago."

Agent Wallace seemed suspicious but Agent Abbott's eyes flashed in recognition.

"Sargent Lynn Otaktay. Served in the Marine Corps from 2009 and honorably discharged in 2011. Well, well, I never would've thought you'd turn up here."

Now it was Lynn's turn to be suspicious. "How in the hell do you know about me?"

"That is classified information Miss. Otaktay."

"Bullshit!" she snarled, fisting her hands on the table. She felt the other monsters shift around her but her focus was trained upon the dark-haired man across from her. "What the hell do you have on me? I have a right as a United States citizen to know what you people have on me!"

"You don't have a right to shit." Agent Abbott countered, leveling a glare of his own onto her. "However, I will tell you what I _can_. We know that you served with three people of your 'kind', all of whom will remain anonymous. We also know that you four got blown up by an IED and that you were the only one to survive."

"Don't you fuckin' _dare_ speak of them that way!" Lynn snarled, the notes sounding canine despite coming out of a human throat. "They were three of the best fuckin' soldiers the fuckin' military had to offer and the best friends I could've asked for! They gave their lives in defense of our country and you speak like they were nothing more than dogs!"

"lynn..."

"Sit down Lynn!"

Lynn blinked and realized that she'd flown her her feet and was leaning on the table over the agents. She squeezed her eyes shut, choked down as much of her anger as she possibly could, and sat back down. When she opened her eyes again she found that the agents had a victorious gleam in their eyes.

"So," Agent Wallace started, leaning forward and staring at Toriel, a smug smirk on his face, "What were you saying about the monsters being, ah, 'made of magic and kindness'?"

"'unless in self defense'," Sans finished icily, glaring at the humans, "you were verbally attacking lynn and she had every right to defend herself and her... dead friends."

"She clearly shows hostile intentions. I would imagine it would be worse when she transforms into a werewolf."

"Correction, _buddy_ ," Lynn inserted, voice just above a growl, "I'm a werewolf 24/7. I don't get to choose when I am and when I'm not. Also, I have a place where I can lock myself up on the full moon. I've had it for years."

" _Oh?_ Would you mind showing us where this is and how secure it is?"

Lynn snorted, crossing her arms. "I'd rather not but I suppose I have no choice with you."

The smile Agent Wallace gave her sent prickles down her spine. "No, you don't. After you, Miss Otaktay."

* * *

The walk there was tense. The agents talked among themselves as they followed the monsters back across town and up the path to Lynn's cabin. If they noticed that they were heading back the way they came they didn't say anything. It was when they arrive at the clearing did they speak up.

"This thing?" Agent Wallace snorted, staring at the shabby structure dubiously, "Please, this thing couldn't hold an angry cat much less an angry werewolf."

Lynn rolled her eyes and crossed her arms. "No shit, Sherlock. It's _underneath_ the cabin. I converted the old root cellar into a sturdy hiding place a few years ago."

"And where did you get these materials?" Agent Abbott asked. "I doubt you could afford much making minimum wage at the local coffee joint."

At this Lynn remained stubbornly silent, averting her eyes. That was all the answer they needed.

"You realize I could arrest you for theft of construction materials, Miss. Otaktay?" a stubborn nod and the blonde agent sighed. "However, that's not why we're here. Believe it or not we're not here to harass you but to help solve a murder that could possibly be linked to you."

More silence, save for the sound of the other monsters shifting their weight, and Agent Wallace sighed once again. "Can we at least take a look around? Take some blood samples and such."

Lynn shrugged a shoulder. "Don't matter to me. You will find blood in there though. It's mine."

"You realize we'll still have to collect it and send it to the lab, right?"

"Yes, yes, I've seen CSI and NCIS. Go do your thing."

* * *

 **Disclaimer: I'm well aware that the FBI probably doesn't work like that. I'm taking an artistic license with this.**


	6. Dealing With the Painful Past

**Triggers: detailed descriptions of explosions, death, blood, verbal abuse, and self-hate**

 **Thank you** **StarBee24 for reviewing last chapter and thank you all who followed and faved this story! It truly means a lot when I know people are liking this! I apologize for the late chapter... this one didn't want to be written. I swear I've rewritten parts of this at least five times... So please review! Love hearing from you guys!**

 **Chapter theme: Goodbye Blue Sky by Pink Floyd (I recommend you listen to this while reading.)**

* * *

"Thank you very much for your cooperation. We will be in contact shortly."

"Have a safe drive back Agent Wallace. Agent Abbott. I am just thankful you did not arrest Lynn. She really does not have anything to do with this murder."

"We'll see."

With that the agents both clambered into their car and drove back the way they came, leaving a plume of dust in their wake. Lynn didn't care to see them off, turning instead to walk silently into Toriel's house.

She hadn't said a word since she'd been forced to show everyone her 'dungeon'. The werewolf was mortified when everyone had been curious to see the inside of the cabin. She was thankful that the agents had forbidden it, saying that it was 'part of a crime scene'. That didn't stop some of the monsters from looking through the cracks of the boarded up windows though.

Lynn trod down the familiar hallway, turned into her room and quietly shut the door behind her. The tired woman immediately shuffled to the closet and dug around in the neat stacks of boxes until she found what she was looking for. She pulled out a beat up shoebox with such reverence one would think she was holding a deeply sacred object.

She held the slowly disintegrating cardboard box close to her as she shuffled back towards the bed and plopped herself unceremoniously onto the floor. The lid was lifted to reveal dozens and dozens of photographs and small composition books laying in haphazard stacks. She picked up the topmost one, coincidentally the largest one in the box, off of a battered composition book and scrutinized it for a long time.

With a disgusted sigh she tossed it away and moved onto the other photos, eventually spreading the captured memories onto the floor before her. So absorbed in her memories was she that she never heard the gentle knock on the door or noticed it when Toriel and Papyrus filed in. Their unique scents and the sound of gentle shuffling brought their presence to her attention.

Lynn was unwilling to discuss what needed to be discussed and gently picked up a picture from her spread. A soft smile brushed over her chapped lips as she examined the four people staring merrily up at her, drinks in their hands.

"This is me with my dearest friends," she informed them, turning the photo so they could see it. "The ginger's name was Corporal Keen, Pacey Keen. The pretty brunette was Lance Corporal Anita Sadler, and my commanding officer is the big buff guy, Major Ravid Franz. They were all like me... werewolves."

Her smile turned sad as she turned the photo back towards her. "Anita was bit right before she came back from leave and was the most inexperienced one out of all of us. Keen, we called him by his last name, had been living with this about as long as I had, about a year and a half at the time. Major was the one that had it the longest; roughly fifteen years. I dunno how he hid it from 'is wife for so long; I heard that they were getting a divorce before—"

She bit off the end of her sentence as an explosion echoed in her ears. Her breath hitched and her eyes clenched shut as she shook her head to clear it out.

"I dunno why we were assigned the same freakin' Humvee. All I know is that a suicide bomber threw herself onto Major and blew us sky-high. It was coincidental that Anita, Keen, and I were in the blast radius, or so they say." A scoff interrupted her narrative and she shook her head in disgust. "Hell, I don't even remember why I had my pack off at the time. I guess it's not important now; They're dead and I'm left with the scars of my failure!"

Lynn's features twisted in a snarl and she angrily swiped her arm across the photos, scattering them further away. One of them landed near Papyrus and he quietly picked it up. His eyes widened slightly as he took in a younger, darker Lynn in her full dress uniform, gazing at the camera with bright brown eyes. Her hair, the colour of roasted walnuts, was pulled back in a simple yet neat bun at the back of her head. There were fewer pale scars running across her face. The most notable feature were her eyes, the same colour of the earth, and they _burned_ with pride. It lit up her whole face and made her seem that much younger.

When Papyrus looked back down at the broken woman at his feet, he was alarmed to see her with her head in between her hands. She gently rocked back and forth and his soul ached to go to her. He struggled to keep himself rooted though, as he sensed that she had more things to get off her chest.

"I was so goddamned _proud_ that I was serving my country," she rambled, more to herself than to the two silent monsters in the room. "I was so full of life and hope and, god, I was so _naive_ to the horrors of life. We were trained that the Marines are the toughest, strongest branch in the US military. We trained harder, we are the first to be called to battle, and we were the hardest to kill. So why am I so _goddamned weak?"_

Her voice never rose but the intensity of the emotions that suffused it took his breath away. Her fingers curled into her hair and threatened to rip the strands right out of her skull. The photo shook in his grasp as he longed to throw himself down beside her and hold her until she was better.

"I can't even recognize an abusive relationship when it was staring me in the face! I _allowed_ myself to get beaten and raped and berated. _What happened to me_ ? Where did my _pride_ go? My self-respect? I had so much potential so how did I end up like this?"

" _STOP_ ," Papyrus pleaded, dropping the photo in his hand and picking his way around the photos. Before the woman could make a sound of protest he dropped down beside her and scooped her into his arms. Lynn stiffened in his grasp and, for a second, he was afraid she would shove him off. After a moment or two of uncertainty she gave in with a soft sob and buried her face into his chest.

"YOU'VE BEEN THROUGH SO MUCH." Papyrus felt desperate fingers claw at his shirt and he tightened his grip a little. "IT'S OKAY TO FEEL SAD AND ANGRY AND LOST. BUT THE ONLY THING I WILL NOT ALLOW IS FOR ANYONE TO TALK BADLY ABOUT MY FRIEND, INCLUDING YOURSELF."

Lynn stiffened in his grasp again but he plowed on regardless. "YOU ARE A GREAT, HARDWORKING PERSON THAT TRIES SO HARD. YOUR SENSE OF HUMOUR NEEDS WORK THOUGH... TOO MANY PUNS..."

A strangled noise, perhaps a cross between a sob and a laugh, escaped the woman and Papyrus grinned in victory.

"WHO YOU WERE BEFORE AND WHO YOU ARE NOW ARE NOT THE SAME. YOU CAN'T GO BACK TO WHO YOU WERE BEFORE BUT YOU _CAN_ MAKE YOUR WAY FORWARD AND FIND YOUR PRIDE AGAIN."

The skeleton was met with silence, though the good kind that meant that she was absorbing all the information he spouted. After a minute or two she wiped her eyes and drew back, a tiny, watery smile of gratitude on her lips.

"Thank you Pap," she murmured, sniffling. She took a moment to survey the scattered photos. "I don't deserve your kindness."

He opened his mouth to protest but she cut him off with a gentle peck on his cheekbone. Amusement lit her eyes up as, somehow, his cheeks started to glow red. She shook her head in amazement.

"I don't deserve your kindness, but I will do my damnedest to _earn_ it. I have been slowly earning the others' trust over this past month and I won't let this get in the way." Lynn turned puffy eyes to the other monster in the room, who had patiently been waiting for her to calm, and gave her a small smile. "I'm sure you two came in here to get my opinion on something and not listen to my sob story. What do you need?"

Toriel quickly dabbed at the corners of her eyes and cleared her throat a few times before she spoke. "I-I am not certain if I should ask you now. You clearly need time to—"

"Toriel," Lynn sighed, "I'm trying to earn everyone's trust. The best way is to help you guys get out of this mess."

The goat monster gave her a searching look. Lynn matched her stare evenly, not backing down from her request. After a moment of intense staring the motherly monster gave in, glancing away and narrowing her lips.

"The other monsters and I think it is best to have our own investigation," Toriel informed her coolly. "They also think that you would be a great asset to have in the investigation."

"Ah." Lynn sat back, brow furrowed in contemplation. "Makes sense. It's unlikely the FBI would be willing to share what they dig up."

"It would seem so."

Lynn hummed in agreement. "Also, I _could_ possibly be a greater ally than you think."

At Toriel's raised eyebrows her lip twitched in bitter amusement. "Us surface monsters can sense each other. Well, within a limited range. That's how we find each other and form sort of a community. Quite often it's among the same 'species'. Ya know, werewolves and werewolves, vampires and vampires, excreta, excreta."

"Really?" Toriel asked, impressed. Lynn nodded, ran a hand through her hair, and pursed her lips thoughtfully.

"If it is a surface monster, then it had to have been created within the last month. I sensed no one like me before I came here and I'm too far away from the city to sense them now."

Lynn tiled her head to one side and bit her lip. After another moment she nodded once and set to gathering the scattered photographs.

"I'll do it. Pap, go find Undyne; we're going into town in my truck."

"My child, do you think it is wise to do this right now?"  
Lynn glanced up at the monster, an unintelligible emotion burning in her dark eyes.

"The sooner the better."

* * *

Fifteen minutes later the werewolf, skeleton, and fish monster squeezed themselves into Lynn's single cabin truck and puttered down the highway towards the human city. As the miles passed Lynn got more and more tense, knuckles tightening on the steering wheel until they were as white as Papyrus's bones. The skeleton seemed to sense this and struck up a loud conversation about the music playing on the radio, giving each song his own personal rating. He succeeded in drawing Lynn out of her dark thoughts and she put in her own input, even correcting Papyrus whenever he mistitled a song or band name.

Her tension returned when they drove into the city proper. They turned off onto one of the packed city streets and began making their way around the perimeter of the city. Papyrus and Undyne were quieter now, opting to ogle at the city and its tall buildings.

"NYEH! LYNN LOOK! THAT CAR LOOKS JUST LIKE MY BED!"

Lynn flinched as a bony arm shot past her face and pointed out the window at a scarlet Corvette stuck beside them. The Corvette's passenger, a haughty looking blonde woman wearing huge sunglasses, turned her head at the enthusiastic shout. She wrinkled her nose at the three monsters and promptly rolled up her window.

"Bitch," Lynn huffed, glaring at the window and shaking her head.

"Punk!" Undyne agreed, crossing her arms before a huge sign caught her eye. Her head whipped around so fast that Lynn was concerned she would get whiplash. The fish monster's fist connected with Papyrus's shoulder and pointed at it with a clawed finger.

"HEY! Isn't that whats-his-face? Alphys's friend!"

"I AM DISAPPOINTED IN YOU UNDYNE! THAT IS _OBVIOUSLY_ METTATON!"

"What's _he_ doing up there?"

Lynn chuckled and automatically switched lanes in preparation to turn off. "Didn't you guys know? He's gettin' quite popular on the music scene. Especially among the anime crowd."

Papyrus was practically bouncing in his seat in excitement and his eyes glittered in joy. "WOWIE! THAT IS ALMOST AS GOOD AS ME BECOMING A ROYAL GUARD!"

"I would imagine so," Lynn laughed and nudged him with her elbow. A soft tingling nagged at the back of her mind, familiar only to her, and was getting stronger by the mile.

"Hey punk?" Undyne asked after a few more minutes, craning her neck to look at the woman. "Where are we?!"

"THAT'S WHAT I'M WONDERING! BIG HUMAN, WHERE ARE WE?"

Lynn looked around herself and tightened her grip on the steering wheel when she recognized their surroundings. "I-I'm following what my senses are telling me. It so happens that I'm where I used to live..."

Sure enough the her old apartment complex rolled into sight. Her heart spasmed in her chest. Her chest tightened around her lungs. Fear and dread, acid on her tongue, burned her throat. Her stomach turned to lead and she felt the urge to vomit.

"LYNN!" she flinched at the loud voice and almost gave into the instinct to shove herself away from it. The smell of bones and sushi brought her back to herself and found that they were stopped in the middle of the street. The woman turned around in her seat, saw that the apartments were behind them, and let out a breath she didn't know she was holding.

"'M fine Pap. Sorry for scaring you guys." Lynn took her foot off the brake and they continued puttering down the road. "Had a...a flashback."

Bony fingers squeezed her upper arm comfortingly and her lips twitched in gratitude. It was when they found themselves back on the main road did Undyne break the silence that had fallen in the truck.

"So, did ya think they were there?"

Lynn jumped as the monster's voice jolted her out of her thoughts. It took her a second to process Undyne's question and shrugged.

"I dunno... I couldn't sense much above my... flashback. I was drawn there for a reason, but I dunno if it's related to our case..."

Lynn shook her head and contented herself on focusing on the road. A loud _WHOOP_ and the flash of red and blue behind her dashed that idea and she groaned in annoyance.

"Fuckin' hell," she muttered as she pulled over onto the side of the road and leaned to open her glovebox. "Undyne, could you move your leg some?"

There was a rapt knock on the window as Lynn closed the glovebox and she moved to roll it down. Recognition flashed in her eyes when she got a full look at the officer and a tentative smile flickered on her lips.

"Officer Harlow. Long time no see."

"Same to you Lynn," he replied, his friendly smile not quite reaching his eyes. He leaned down and stared at the monsters beside her, who waved tentatively at him, and then scrutinized her. "Heard you and Tommy broke it off."

Lynn's smile melted and her hands fidgeted a little. "Yeah... It was... pretty bad."

Officer Harlow hummed noncommittally, his light brown eyes narrowed in thought. "He's pretty broken up about it, 'cha know? He was telling everyone how you were 'the One' an' how he was plannin' the weddin'. Even showed me th' ring an' everything."

Lynn's throat was as tight as her fingers on the steering wheel. "O-oh..."

"Oh is right." Harlow gave her a piercing look and stood up again. "Just thought you should know how badly you shattered the poor man's heart."

Lynn didn't know how to respond to the barely concealed scorn and simply hummed. The officer shook his head and rapped on the truck's roof.

"I'll tell him that you look okay. You should've let him know at least that."

Harlow spun on his heel before Lynn could get a word in and marched back to his car. She watched as he backed up and, with a final scornful glance, peeled out of there. As soon as his car was out of sight Lynn dropped her head into her hands and strangled down the urge to scream.

"Lynn..?"

She jumped as bony arms pulled her into an awkward hug. The woman exhaled a shaky breath and rested her head against Papyrus's ribs. As soon as her thoughts were clear enough to continue on she tapped on the skeleton's arm and he pulled away.

"I-I'm okay now," Lynn quietly reassured her friends and, after a few failed attempts, started the truck up again. They puttered back onto the road and it was silent all the way home, save for the radio.

* * *

 _"_ _Lynn, buddy! Long time no see!"_

 _"_ _Ell! Come have a drink with us! We gotta catch up!"_

 _"_ _Sargent Otaktay, git yer ass over 'ere!"_

 _Lynn's breath hitched and tears pricked the edges of her eyes. It had been a_ long _time she heard the voices she knew so intimately. She turned away from the darkness and found her friend's faces._

 _"_ _Come on over!" Keen shouted once again, waving his mug of beer and spilling most of it onto the dingy floor. "Tell us what's happening with you!"_

 _Joy lifted her heart and lips and she took a hopping step forward. Her foot landed with a faint_ thunk _._

 _Her friend's bright faces, the icy eyes that seemed to melt with her, the hunter eyes that shone a shade lighter, and the doe eyes that danced, was the last thing she glimpsed before a blast tore them away. The flying shrapnel and dust, none of which ever touched her, swallowed her wordless scream of horror._

 _"_ _Look at what you've done." A silky voice murmured into her ear. The weight of His hand was warm and almost comforting if not for the cool apathy in his voice._

 _"_ _I've done NOTHING!"_

 _Lynn spun around to face him, teeth bared as if she would tear his very soul out. A sharp stab of ice in her belly stopped her cold. Something hot and sticky flowed out around the bolt of ice. Numb knees hit the floor._

 _Glowing warm adoration lifted faintly pink lips and smooth pale cheeks into a loving smile. His straw brows relaxed and lifted, completing the expression. Frostbitten eyes stared down at her, a malicious sort of pride frozen in their depths._

 _"_ _Precisely, my love." His toothy smile was borderline hostile as he kneeled down to her level, one knee touching the bloodstained floor. "I have done nothing but give to you. I gave you a home! Gave you the tools to get over whatever the hell is wrong with you! And this is the THANKS I GET?!"_

 _Long pale fingers shoved themselves inside one of his pockets and withdrew something small. He regarded it for a moment, boiling anger melting the ice in his eyes, and he threw it at the ground. The gold ring bounced once and rolled into the blood pooling at her knees._

 _"_ _I_ loved _you! I_ cherished _you! The only thing I asked from you was to abide by my rules!"_

 _Another length of cold steel was in his fingers and he gripped it with white knuckles. His other hand flew behind her and yanked her head back with a painful jerk of her hair. A wordless gurgle flew out of her lips._

 _"_ _You tore my heart to shreds! Now you will feel an inkling of my pain!"_

 _Steel, colder than any ice, buried itself to the hilt precisely between her third and fourth ribs. An unearthly scream tore out of her throat. Her heart fluttered wildly and then-!_

Lynn bolted up, scream just behind her teeth. Something crunched and flittered just out of her field of vision and she instinctively scrambled away from it. The feel of falling and the jarring impact of the floor jolted her out of her mindless panic. Panicked hands groped the cloth over her heart and stomach, searching for any trace of her blood leaking out from her. When she found nothing but unbroken skin she gasped in relief and succumbed to bitter tears.

"O-oh god... Oh Go-od _why_?"

The memory of those eyes, her friends' welcoming eyes, swam to the front of her mind and her breath burst out in a pitiful sob.

"God, _why me?!_ Why me? Why me-e-e..?"

Desperate, grieving sobs gave way to whimpers and harsh breathing. Her chest felt too tight and her head felt light. Tremors ran up and down her aching body. Vaguely, music started to filter through the ringing in her ears. It sounded familiar and she tried so hard to focus on discerning the lyrics.

As she focused on listening to the music—Pink Floyd; she'd forgotten that she'd put in his album—she felt her body slowly relax. By the time a few songs had played she was steady enough to slowly get to her feet and examine her surroundings.

Her blankets were twisted and pulled half off the bed, which would explain why she couldn't get free right away, and papers were strewn over the bed and floor. It took her a moment to remember why they had been stacked there of all places; she had been reading over the plans for a school that Toriel had given her. That was her next big project after New Grilbys.

The discordant music set her nerves on edge and, before she realized what she was doing, she'd slipped out of her room and was on her way out of the house. The cool night air dried the remainder of her tears and relief flooded her being. Dirt crunched softly under her bare feet as she padded along in a random direction. Belatedly, Lynn realized that she was only dressed in her night clothes; a steel grey camisole and loose sage green pajama pants.

The woman stared at the ground and allowed her mind to drift, not even paying attention to where her feet were taking her. Had she been paying attention she would've known that there was one other occupant watching her carefully from the shadows. Eventually the overwhelming feeling of being observed slowed her pace some. The werewolf closed her eyes and allowed her other senses take over. They felt like they belonged in the quaint town so she wasn't overly worried. The faint _click clack_ of bones cemented the identity of her stalker and the knowledge made her lips twitch.

" _Bonely_ Sans?" she called out softly, caution underlying the humour in her voice. "Yer gonna have to put more _backbone_ into keepin' quiet if yer gonna stalk me."

She felt a rush of magic in the air—much like a tingling pressure wave—and his presence was suddenly a short ways from her. Lynn opened her eyes and found Sans leaning lazily against a tree a few yards from her. His grin was amused but the white pinpricks that were his pupils radiated caution.

"what'dda doin' out here this time of night?" he asked easily, his pupils flickering to the waning gibbous still high in the sky. "don't'ya know that most people are sleepin'?"

Lynn shrugged, mood souring some as lingering feelings from her dream surfaced again. "Decided to take a walk."

His eyes flicked back at her guarded tone and he scrutinized her face, as if searching for something in her expression. Something of her inner feelings must've showed on her face because the caution bled out of his eyes and was replaced with understanding.

"you get 'em too..?" Both the soft, vulnerable tone and the fact that he pinpointed what was wrong stunned Lynn into silence. She blinked a few times in rapid succession as the question processed in her mind.

"A-are you talkin' about... 'bout the nightmares..?"

His pupils darted away at the question but that was all the answer she needed. A disbelieving huff escaped her lips and she tilted her head back. A mob of questions swarmed her mind but she refrained from asking any of them, getting the feeling that they would stray too close for comfort for the both of them.

"Do..." Sans's voice jolted her from her thoughts and she open an eye to regard him. His white pupils seemed to be locked on something behind her though they flickered to her face occasionally. The skeleton seemed to be very uncomfortable as he shifted his weight from one leg to the other.

"Do...?" Lynn prompted, lowering her chin to look a him properly. She had a feeling about what he wanted to ask.

He seemed to struggle with the words. Finally, Sans took a deep breath and stared at the ground in front of him.

"do...do you.. wanna talk... about it..?"

The hesitation in his voice made her want to smile. As the werewolf considered his words a soft smile did lift her lips; It was his way of extending the olive branch.

But _did_ she want to share the horror of her dream?

Lynn bit her lip briefly, showing her own hesitation, before she wordlessly approached Sans. He stiffened and she slowed her pace, allowing his posture to relax some before she plopped down under a tree across from his. A slow blink of what she assumed was surprised—she wasn't too good at deciphering his expressions yet; she was used to Papyrus's exaggerated ones—before he slid down the trunk and settled himself onto the ground.

"so..." Sans started, letting the word hang between them for a handful of beats. "wha's eatin' you?"

Lynn huffed out an amused breath, chewing on her lip as she wrestled with finding the right words. She could feel that she had his undivided attention and her cheeks warmed a bit.

"I... I dreamed of _them._ My friends from the military. They.. they were like a family to me. I would lay down my life for _any_ of them.

"Anyway, they were in a bar, one of those dinky ass places where the beer is cheap and the food even cheaper. They... they invited me to their table... just like old times... and catch up. They... wanted to know what I was up to..."

Lynn took a deep breath as the familiar ache surrounded her heart. The sound of Keen's boisterous laughter, Anita's cheerful giggles and Major's exasperated yet amused sighs echoed in her ears and she shoved them away from the front of her mind.

"I was so fuckin' _happy_ to see them. It had been _so long_ since I had heard their voices and seen their smiles. I wanted nothing more than to run to them and hug them and never let them go."

The werewolf clenched her eyes shut and leaned her head back, hitting the trunk of the tree with a soft _thunk_.

"Th' bar exploded as soon as I took a step. It was like seeing them die all over again... The smoke, th' debris, the smell of death, all of it the same. M-my ex, Tommy, showed up then, telling me that it was my fault they were dead.

"He stabbed me when I faced him... He told me that all he did was give to me... A home... Love... Affection..."

A soft sob escaped her then, hot tears trickling down her cheeks despite the fact that she was tired of them. Sans hadn't said a word since she started talking and she was very thankful for that.

"D-did ya know he wanted to _marry_ me?! I learned that in town today. H-he took out the ring and threw it at my feet. He also told me that I broke his heart and now I was gonna feel an inkling of his pain. He stabbed me again, this time in my heart and... that's when I woke up..."

Lynn covered her face with her hands and struggled to get ahold of herself. Self-loathing and hot shame coursed through her like a fast acting venom.

"That's not even the most fucked up part," she whispered, bitterness dripping with every syllable. "The most fucked up part is that I _still love him_."

A note of near hysterical laughter escaped her throat and she dropped her hands to clench in her lap.

"I still love the seductive, abusive, cruel, manipulating, controlling, motherfucking bastard..! _How fucked am I, right?!"_

Lynn's fingernails dug into the skin of her palm and small streams of blood flowed down the abused skin. She welcomed the pain; that's what she deserved for being so goddamned sick, right?

"So what's eatin' you? Surely you didn't wait up all night just to listen to my sob story."


	7. Gathering the Evidence

**Trigger Warning: mentions of blood, suicide, and PTSD.**

 **I'd like to thank ALL of you for being so patient with me! Life and finals decided to kick my ass and I finally have the time to write again! I've had this sitting in my documents just waiting to be edited and refined. I'd love to thank you all for taking the time to read this!**

 **EDIT: I forgot to mention! I'm working on a side fic with my good friend and in-law, Barely Meeting Expectations, with their OC, Marcus. It'll be up in the near future with scenes that couldn't make it in here. Most of them will feature Lynn and Marcus together being the dorks they are. The plan is that, after I start posting that story, I'll start incorporating Marcus in here. I'll put in another edit with the title for anyone who's interested. Thank you and I love you guys!**

* * *

All was silent save for the sounds of her heavy breathing and hiccups. Lynn pressed the back of her wrists to her eyes and made an effort to calm herself. She felt the weight of Sans's stare on her and she was a little embarrassed to show so much of herself to him. It took all of her remaining willpower she still had to choke down the rest of her tears. Once she felt steady enough she let her hands fall into her lap and gave Sans a thin-lipped smile.

"Sorry," she whispered, her voice hoarse from the onslaught of emotions. She cleared her throat a few times before she continued, "Didn't mean to lose it. What's going on with you..?"

She watched the skeleton shrug and recline lazily against the tree. His eyes watched her carefully, as if weighing her every emotion on her face before closing his eyes completely. Confusion edged with irritation bubbled up and Lynn shifted uncomfortably. They sat in silence for a long while, long enough for Lynn to start contemplating the best way to get Sans home, before the skeleton's eyesockets opened an inch.

"we were stuck down there for a long time," he started softly, voice barely above a murmur. "long 'nough for people t' start turnin' to desperate answers. Not all of 'em were good and many paid th' price for it."

The bitterness in his voice had Lynn's breath catch in her throat. She watched him as he tilted his head back, hitting the trunk with a quiet _thump_ , and allowed his eyesockets to drift open again. She couldn't read his expression very well but she got an air of bitter sorrow from him. His pupils drifted up and his features relaxed a small amount. Lynn followed his gaze and smiled softly at the summer constellations drifting slowly above them.

"none of us have seen the stars for a very long time." The skeleton's tone was small, fragile. "they are so much more beautiful in person."

Lynn had nothing to say to that. Instead she lowered her gaze to her companion and watched as his eyesockets soften in awe. A small smile graced her lips and twitched as a thought crossed her mind. She debated for a second before clambering back onto her feet. Sans ripped his attention from the stars to watch her. She crossed the few yards that separated them, not missing how the skeleton's body tensed, and plopped back down a foot or two away from him. At his curious look she merely smiled and refocused on the dark sky above them. Lynn searched for a moment before lifting her hand and tracing a pattern in the sky.

"That constellation is Capricorn, or properly in Latin _Capricornus_. Do you see it Sans?"

There was a moment of surprised silence before a shuffle of clothing and bones met her ears. Her breath hitched when she felt a bony knee nudge hers and heard the subtle creak of his bones as he craned his neck to see the area she was pointing in.

"mind showin' me again?"

Her finger connected the small twinkling dots again. A breath that could've been an awed gasp puffed over the exposed skin of her neck. A tiny tremor ran down her spine.

"Most of the constellations' names come from ancient Greek and Roman myths. Each one has a story behind them."

She felt his interest peak. " _snow_ kiddin'?"

A rather unladylike snort erupted from her along with a chuckle. "I _Kepler_ you not. You wanna stay an' hear them or _Galileo_ utta here?"

Wide grins spread over their faces moments before laughter bubbled from their throats. The forest echoed with their mirth and the stars were witness to the two rolling around in the short grass like two lifelong friends.

"i'd like that," Sans wheezed, wiping a startlingly blue tear from the corner of his eyesocket. He sent a wide grin at Lynn and turned his face back up towards the sky. "tell me 'bout this capri-."

" _Capricorn_ , Sans." There was friendly admonishment in Lynn's voice and she felt her cheeks heat at the attention. "Here's how the one I know goes..."

* * *

 _The Next Morning_

"Lynn, are you absolutely sure you need to bring Frisk along with you and Sans?"

"Frisk has a good eye for details Tori. If there is anything the police have missed at the crime scene she would be the one to find it."

Toriel crossed her arms over her chest and stared down at the younger woman with stern eyes. "I am concerned with her well being. What if you and Sans are attacked by that thing?"

"I'm pretty damn sure a retired Marine and a skeleton can handle anything that attacks us just fine. She'll be fine Tori."

The monster merely stared down at her for a few long moments, teeth gritting as she rolled that over in her head. Beside her Frisk waited patiently for her mother to give her permission. The child rocked back and forth on her heels and swung her arms. Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, Toriel huffed a defeated sigh and shook her head.

"Alright. I will let her go only with the knowledge that she is in safe hands. I trust you will bring her back unhurt."

Lynn saluted the monster, an edge of playfulness in her actions, and turned to Frisk. "You got everythin' kiddo?"

Frisk nodded and tugged her backpack higher on her shoulders. Toriel's lips lifted as she kneeled and engulfed the child in a hug. "You will be good for them, yes?"

"I will Mom. Promise."

Lynn smiled at the exchange, an edge of wistfulness tinging the motion, and gently led the child out and around the corner to the truck. She stopped short when she saw a figure already laying across the seats. A huff escaped her lips when she saw a flash of bone; it was only Sans being, well, Sans. She opened the driver side door, startling him awake, and gave him an amused stare.

"Budge up, Lazy Bones," she joked, lifting Frisk into the cab and setting her on the seat as Sans begrudgingly moved.

"'ey, a guy's gotta catch some shut-eye while he can," Sans yawned, lazily tugging the seatbelt over him.

"Yeah, yeah," Lynn dismissed, tossing a playful grin at the skeleton to soften the words. "Ya know, I know a way to cure yer lazy tail."

"i'd like to hear this one."

Lynn's smile widened as she started the truck. "It's a little thing we call 'Bootcamp'."

* * *

The old, battered truck rolled to a stop, dirt and gravel crunching underneath the tires. Lynn coughed lightly when she popped the door open, waving her hand in a useless attempt to filter out the air some. She hopped out and turned to give Frisk a hand in sliding out. Sans was already out of the truck and rounding the bed when Lynn shut the door after Frisk, his gaze on the fluttering yellow tape several yards to their left.

"we better stay hidden," Sans commented, voice low, "you got the camera and gloves?"

"Yeah," Lynn said, holding up a box and a camera dangled from her wrist. "You have the evidence bags Alphys gave us?"

"yeah. gimmie a pair of those, would ya?"

Lynn pulled out a pair of latex gloves and handed them over to the skeleton, sliding on a pair herself. She quickly checked the camera's battery, biting her lip when it indicated it was half drained. She did a quick mental calculation and sighed, powering it down and tucking it into her palm.

"Come on, we'll start near the treeline and go from there."

The three made their way towards the trees and spread out to cover more area. Frisk took to looking into the trees while Sans examined the ground nearby. Lynn paced closer to the yellow crime scene tape and scrutinized the general area and how it was laid out.

"This would be a great place to hunt," she muttered, thinking out loud, "Not much human contact, plenty of trees for hiding. It's likely the attack happened simply because someone was going for a late night walk at the wrong place."

"Lynn!" Frisk called, startling the woman into spinning around. The human was crouched just inside the tree line and looking at something rather closely.

"Find something?" Lynn confirmed, jogging to the child's side and crouching beside her.

"I think so. Look." Frisk pointed to the broken branches and tufts of fur caught in the splinters.

Lynn ruffled her hair affectionately. "This is exactly what we're looking for. Great job Frisk, we'll make a tracker out of you yet." The werewolf looked over her shoulder and extended a hand. "Sans, I need a bag."

"a 'please' would be nice," he quipped dryly, dropping a bag in her palm.

She didn't bother giving that an answer, instead powering on the camera, snapping a photo of the evidence before bagging the tufts and sealing it tightly.

"Here, hold onto this, _please,_ " she said to Sans, who only gave her an unamused look before tucking it away. She merely smiled toothily in answer and went back to examining the evidence.

"It looks like it was big." She crept forward, eyes narrowed in concentration. She rubbed her nose absentmindedly. "Going fast enough to snap these without a thought. Going fast that way." She flicked her fingers to the left and sniffed. Her stare dropped to the soft ground and picked out a deep indention. "Holy—! Look at the size of these fuckin tracks!" She dipped a finger in what looked like a back pawprint and it went up halfway to her second knuckle. "The fucker was heavy! At least four-hundred pounds!"

"Remember to take a picture," Frisk reminded her and Lynn jumped slightly, completely forgetting they were there.

"Right. Thanks." Lynn snapped a picture and shuffled forward. Her heart stuttered in amazement when she found another print, at least fifteen feet away from the last set.

"The bastard was booking! Look at the size of that stride! It was definitely chasing his prey." She quickly snapped another picture and rubbed her nose irritably. "It's definitely back heavy—look at the depth of the front paws..." The woman trailed off, narrowing her eyes and stooping to take a closer look. A finger trailed over the indentations and clearly marked pads. "This... looks really familiar... I can't... place where I've... seen these before..."

"lynn, we got what we need. lets go before the feds catch us."

The woman huffed, sneezing a second after and she rubbed her nose. "Fuckin hell, the smell's driving me _insane_!"

"Smell? What smell?" Frisk sniffed herself and her face scrunched with confusion. "I don't smell anything unusual."

Lynn growled irritably under her breath, sniffing like she has a cold. "You're human, kiddo. Humans don't have a good sense of smell."

"You do?" Frisk asked, gazing up at the werewolf curiously. "Do you know your eyes are glowing?"

"Yes, to both questions." Lynn scrubbed at her reddened nose to try and relieve the tickling inside of it. "The eyes do that when I'm tapping into something I call 'werewolf magic'. It's unconscious, for the most part. The crazy enhanced sniffer is part of that and it's _irritating to all fucking hell!_ "

"what do you smell?" Sans asked, suddenly interested as he led them back the way they came.

"When I can get a full breath in? I can't really describe it. I guess it's... walnuty? And spicy..? It reminds me kinda of a cross between two of my friends when they Changed... It reeks of a newly turned, and is pungent enough to be a male..."

"so what we're dealing with is a male werewolf that's been recently turned?"

When put that way... "Yeah, that's what I'm getting out of it. But we gotta get these samples back to Alphys to analyze to know for certain. Come on Frisk, why don't we stop to get something to eat?"

* * *

"O-oh! Y-y-your back already! A-any success?"

Lynn smiled kindly down at the nervous lizard monster and handed her the camera. "There's some good pictures of the evidence we got. Broken branches, tracks, the like. Sans has the fur we got from it."

Sans shuffled up and dropped the bags of fur they had into Alphys's palm. "you still can use these, right?"

Alphys examined the fur from over glasses, demeanor changing. "I-I should if I c-can get anything from t-the root. I need a sample of L-Lynn's fur to make an accurate comparison."

"Um," Lynn bit her lip uncertainly. "Alright. I'll be back to get some."

Alphys glanced at her, a scrutinizing look in her eye. Most traces of her stuttering self has disappeared, replaced by the collected mindset of a dedicated scientist. "I need fur w-with the root still attached. Most shed hair w-won't have it. The best way is to collect it o-ourselves."

The blood drained out of Lynn's face and she shook her head firmly. "There's _no_ way I'm Changing just for that."

"It's just to collect what w-we need, Lynn. S-surely you can handle that."

Lynn shook her head again, a hard glint in her eye and voice, "No. Nothing less than a bullet to the brain will trigger that. It hurts like a fuckin bitch when I Change that way. It's a hundred times fuckin worse. I will get you your damned sample and you can work with that. Stay here."

With that, that werewolf spun on her heel and stalked out of the stunned room. Lynn stalked her way back through town, good mood ruined, and she vaguely heard two sets of steps follow behind her. She gritted her teeth in annoyance and stepped up her pace. Don't they know how to follow orders?! She told them to stay and they directly disobeyed her!

Lynn snorted as she rounded the bend to head to the cabin and was pleased to hear Alphys panting behind her. Sans called for her to wait but she ignored him, instead turning the corner to stomp up to her cabin, yank the door open, ignore the smell of her own blood, and stalk over to the rug. She kicked the worn rug aside and tugged the trapdoor open, gritting her teeth at the screech the metal hinges made.

"Lynn!" Alphys panted as she leaned against the doorway. The werewolf huffed as she sat on the edge of the opening, sending an annoyed glare to the lizard monster, who looked even more guilty.

"I-I-I'm sorry! I-I didn't m-mean to b-be so in-insensitive! Oh god, I-I'm s-screwing t-this up, a-aren't I?"

Lynn took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. She managed to get the worst of her irrational anger down before she turned to a positively shaking Alphys and a silent Sans behind her.

"It's not something I like to talk about, Alphys." Lynn took another steadying breath. "I'm sure you of all people can understand. It brought up a bad memory and I'm sorry for reacting like that..." The werewolf offered a small smile, testing the waters some. "I understand that you didn't know and I forgive your ignorance. I just ask that you not touch on that."

At Alphys's nod Lynn sighed and rolled her shoulders. "I'll be back. Please, _stay here_ this time. I really don't want any of you to see this."

With that, Lynn grasped the ladder rungs and quickly descended, years of practice making this much easier. Her stomach lurched at the stench of blood and distress, threatening to make her vomit up her lunch. With a gulp, she pushed it down and concentrated on getting what she needed.

The FBI agents also took samples of her fur and blood the day before, though they were not thorough enough in their collecting. Lynn found some almost right away, caught in a panel that had come slightly loose at some point or another. Some of them looked like they still had the roots attached so she carefully pulled them loose and held them in between her fingers while she hunted for more. It didn't take her too long to collect what was there and before she knew it she was climbing up the ladder again.

"Someone hand me a bag please," Lynn said when her head popped out of the opening. Sans was already on it, thrusting a small clear bag at her head and holding it while she dropped the tufts of fur into it.

"Thanks." Lynn gave Sans a small smile and hefted herself out of the opening, nudging it closed with her foot. The _CLANG_ of it shutting made them all jump and the werewolf hurried to cover the trap door.

"S-so t-that's what's u-u-under there," Alphys mused, eyeing the rug.

Lynn glared at the same rug, a feeling of loathing welling up in her chest. "Trust me when I say that you don't want to go down there. I ask both of you to leave it alone." The werewolf took a breath and shook her head. She held out the bag to Alphys, slapping a smile onto her face. "Anyway, the samples you asked for. Make use of them as you will."

The lizard monster took them with slightly shaking fingers, a nervous grimace on her lips. "T-thanks. I-I need to get back t-to start analyzing e-everything.

"we'll walk ya there. need to swing by grillby's anyway." Sans grinned and motioned towards the door. "ladies first."

"Civilians first," Lynn countered without a thought, drawing confused stares from her companions. She blinked and a sheepish grin spread over her lips. "Sorry, old habit. Um, go ahead."

The three filed out and started back towards town. An uncomfortable silence descended upon them as each of the three were sucked into their own thoughts. Before they knew it they were standing outside the nearly finished bar, halfway to the house Alphys and Undyne shared and the makeshift lab.

"hey, look at that, we're here." Sans pointed out, startling both of the women.

"T-thanks for w-walking me here," Alphys muttered, shuffling her feet. "I-I will have these d-done as s-soon as I can."

"Take care of yourself," said Lynn, giving the scientist a stern look. "And make sure you go to bed at a decent hour. I _really_ don't feel like getting dragged out of my bed by Undyne, screeching at the top of her lungs about how it's my fault that you collapsed from exhaustion."

That brought a small smile to the monster's face, a slight blush coating her cheeks. "Heh heh heh. Y-yeah. I will. T-thanks again!"

With that, Alphys waved to the two and plodded along the road towards her house. Lynn watched her go for a little while before turning towards the bar and walking in with Sans. A proud smile danced over her lips when as soon as she set foot into the building, eyes taking in the warm and welcoming woodwork and the raised stage that she worked so hard building.

Sans whistled beside her, taking in the same things she was. "wow. you really, uh, did a great job on this. it's better than the last bar we had."

Warmth bloomed in her chest and she grinned down at him. "Thank you. That means a lot coming from you."

He looked up sharply and his breath hitched. Confusion—hah! She was starting to get the hang of reading his face!—twisted his expression and something akin to suspicion reflected in his pupils. When he really examined her expression and saw only sincerity in it, his own relaxed and an easy grin stretched over his teeth.

"I thought I heard you two come in," remarked a voice and the two glanced up to see Grillby leaning against the door frame leading to the kitchen. He was flickering his normal yellow-orange, but hints of amused lavender wove in and out of his fire.

"ey, long time no see grillbz," Sans greeted, casually strolling up to the stool-less bar. "you needed somethin'?"

"Yes," the fire elemental looked at Lynn now, his amusement fading. "I need you two to get the furniture from the human town. I can't drive myself and I have some finishing touches to do here."

"Alright," Lynn agreed, "Where did you order it from?"

Grillby told her and she went through her mental map of the town. She nodded her comprehension when she located the general area it was in.

"I know the area and I should have the restraints and cables I need to move it here."

"Thank you Lynn. You can count yourself hired after we open tomorrow night."

The woman blinked in utter disbelief, lips parting in shock. "I-I... don't know what to say."

Grillby's flame brightened in a smile. "I know you have other responsibilities to take care of around town. But, I would like you to have a position here for when you need a break from pounding in nails."

A wide smile lit up her face. "I think I can do nights, if that's alright. My next building project won't start for a little while yet while we gather up the needed materials." "Excellent. I will see you when you two return."


End file.
